Novartis renews partnership with SLMC as center of excellence in clinical trials
Novartis Healthcare Philippines and the St. Luke’s Medical Center have si g n ed a memorandum of agreement to renew their partnership in maintaining SLMC’s status as a center of excellence in clinical trials. The collaboration aims to support the research and development of medicines as well as to enhance SLMC’s capabilities as an internationally recognized Academic Research Center.
“Novartis Healthcare Philippines is pleased to renew our partnership with St. Luke’s Medical Center fully aligned with our mission to discover new ways to improve and extend people’s lives. This partnership is evidence of our strong commitment to strengthen the country’s clinical research capabilities and enhance Philippine health care,” Dr. Nikolaos Tripodis, president and managing director, Novartis Healthcare Philippines said.
“As the country’s premier hospital with a strong R&D focus, SLMC is an ideal partner for a research-driven pharmaceutical company like Novartis. Our collaboration combines our organizations’ strengths in clinical research, producing a synergy that drives innovation and excellence,” said Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer, Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
“The renewal of our partnership with Novartis is in line with our direction to be a prime mover and catalyst in the advancement of medical science through a culture of excellent research,” Dr. Edgardo Cortez, SLMC president and chief executive officer said.
Leveraging its institutionalized R&D process, Novartis has extensive experience in conducting clinical research on a global scale and has one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most respected development pipelines, with more than 200 projects in clinical development, including 145 in the Pharmaceuticals Division (as of April 21, 2016). Many of these projects include the development of new molecular entities, existing products with additional indications and different formulations for marketed products – all could significantly advance treatment standards for patients worldwide.
To date, Novartis has invested over P465 million in clinical trials in the country. Among pharmaceutical companies operating in the Philippines, Novartis currently has the most number of active recruiting trials in cardiovascular medicine with increasing number of pulmonary medicine trials.
The Philippine International Clinical Research Operations started its operations in 2008, with the allocation of two clinical trials on hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus.
Since then, 38 global trials in cardiology/metabolism, immunology/dermatology, respiratory, established medicines, and retina have been conducted in the country, enrolling 2,425 Filipino patients in 215 local sites.