Hong Kong helps speed up development of new treatments as number of clinical trials in city surges
Rise came after Chinese state agency officially recognised results of Phase 1 tests here for registration of new medications in mainland
Hong Kong is playing an increasingly important role in speeding up the registration of new pharmaceuticals and therapies globally, with the number of clinical trials conducted in the city having surged significantly in the past year, the city’s two clinical trial centres told the Post.
The centres at the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University have seen a multifold increase in the number of Phase 1 clinical trials – the first of three phases before a new medication enters the market – commissioned by overseas and Chinese pharmaceutical companies.
There have been in total 26 ongoing or completed trials at the two centres since July 2016, compared with fewer than 10 in the preceding three years. The pharmaceuticals and therapies on trial include potential treatments for cancer, hepatitis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases.
The rise came after the China Food and Drug Administration officially recognised in July 2016 the results of Phase 1 clinical trials from Hong Kong for registering new drugs for sale on the mainland. Before that, the city’s trial results were not guaranteed to be transferable across the border. In one case, the registration process was sped up by one year as a result.
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Phase 1 trials are usually conducted on dozens of healthy individuals to establish the safety of a new medical treatment before Phase 2 and 3 trials test its efficacy on hundreds or thousands of patients.
