Health Minister Sussan Ley and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane have come together to launch the new Australian Clinical Trials website.
Launched on International Clinical Trials Day, the website provides a portal for people interested in participating in a clinical trial, including information about a trial, who can enrol, and what is required of patients. The new website even enables people to make direct contact with a trial's lead researcher.
Ms Ley said the website would help boost patient participation following data that indicated just under half of all Phase Three clinical trials conducted in Australia did not meet their patient recruitment targets.
“Clinical trials are an essential part of ensuring that the life-saving treatments and drugs we use are safe and effective,” she said.
“This Australian-first one-stop shop of information relating to clinical trials marks a significant milestone in the Australian Government’s $9.9 million commitment to accelerate clinical trials reform and improve access to critical treatments and therapies.”
According to Ms Ley, not being able to recruit enough participants is considered one of the main reasons for a seven per cent decline in the number of trials conducted in Australia from 2012 to 2013.
“This reform will provide Australians right across the country, including regional and rural patients, greater access to clinical trials and will help to improve health outcomes,” Ms Ley said.
Mr Macfarlane said the new portal will make it is easier for patients to be aware of the trials available across Australia, and how they work.
“This website also responds to calls from researchers and the clinical sector to include new e-learning modules to help both consumers and researchers to better understand how the clinical trials system works,” he said.