NZ becomes haven to host drug trials
Medical research companies from the United States and Europe are starting to shift clinical trials to New Zealand because of its lack of Covid-19 restrictions.
Being largely Covid-free means New Zealand has a population with almost no movement restrictions and few people infected by the virus, which means there is little chance it will affect the outcome.
Christian Schwabe, managing director of medical research site Auckland Clinical Studies, said New Zealand was already starting to attract phase 1 and 2 clinical trials before the coronavirus hit.
But now that many clinical trials are on hold in North America and Europe due to coronavirus, sponsors were looking at New Zealand to transfer or start trials.
Part of the attraction was New Zealand’s Covid- 19 strategy, which gave researchers a promise of much more certainty, compared with other countries that were going in and out of lockdown.
Clinical trial interest was so great that the 35 beds at Auckland Clinical Studies were full, he said.
Pharmaceutical Solutions, a clinical research organisation that sets up trials for mostly international medical firms, agreed New Zealand had become an attractive site for such research.
The company had seen a large increase in requests for proposals from both American and European biotech and pharma companies since the virus hit, managing director Jacquie Palmer said.
Trials could cost millions of dollars if they were put on hold, and so these companies were looking at New Zealand and Australia, and any tax incentives, as alternative locations.
Palmer said about 90 per cent of her business was with international clients ‘‘and I would say predominantly most of the research market in New Zealand is 90 per cent international clients’’.
‘‘So the impact here is huge, if we can get more of them coming across and doing their studies and trials down in this region.’’