Special Report:
THE CLINICAL TRIAL LANDSCAPE
IN CANADA
By Michelle Hampson
C
CLINICAL TRIALS ARE A KEY ASPECT OF HEALTH INNOVATION, driving the translation of basic research to products on the market. The benefits of clinical trials for patients, institutions and economies are numerous, including better access to care and quality of life, increased knowledge and understanding of diseases, attraction of highly qualified clinicians, job creation and economic growth. Canada has long been known internationally for its high quality of research, which has been a significant attribute for attracting clinical trials in the past. However, over the last decade Canada has fallen behind in the global race for clinical trial investment. According to a HealthCareCan report, Canada’s share of pharma-sponsored trial sites dropped from five per cent of the global total in 2005 to four per cent in 2010; additionally, the number of Canadian sites participating in clinical trials had declined by 16 per cent, researchers had enrolled fewer Canadians in those trials, and the cost of recruiting patients was among the highest in the world at over $17,000 per patient.1 Several different factors are driving this decline for Canada. Examples include the emergence of low cost clinical research competitors from emerging markets and their improving quality, combined with increasing hospital and academic overhead charges in Canada. With time being of the essence for conducting clinical trials, a large part of Canada’s decline on the global market can also be attributed to more efficient trial processes in other countries. April/May 2015 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS 13