Sydney headquartered clinical research organisation Novotech has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) in Taiwan.
The company said the MoU is designed to facilitate high-quality and rapid feasibility start-up and recruitment processes.
The CMUH is a 2,054-bed facility with a dedicated Clinical Trials Centre (CTC).
Novotech said the MoU has the potential to give its clients faster start-up times, access to the CMUH patient database, recruiters across multiple therapeutic areas and leading principal investigators.
The CTC of CMUH was established in 2008 and has been led by Professor Chung Y. Hsu since 2010.
According to the CTC, Professor Hsu's management principle is to deliver international standard clinical research to facilitate market approval of new drugs and devices for domestic and global pharmaceutical companies.
Under the terms of the MOU, the CMUH will provide professional and medical clinical trial advice to Novotech including feasibility, principal investigator selection, and assistance with patient recruitment. Novotech will promote the clinical research capabilities of CMUH internationally, in particular, their Phase 1 unit.
According to Novotech executive director of Asia operations Dr Yooni Kim, Taiwan with a population of 23.3 million has a world-class medical system and is well established as a premier clinical research location with a rich diversity of patient ethnic groups.
"The MOU means Novotech will also have dedicated clinical experts within the CMUH to support and prioritise rapid clinical processes for Novotech biopharma clients," said Dr Kim.
"Novotech is the Asia-Pacific CRO, so is committed to establishing ongoing engagement with leading medical institutions in each country across the Asia-Pacific region. We have offices and teams on the ground as well as MOUs and long-term relationships with major hospitals that directly benefit our clients.
"Our in-country relationships enable a more comprehensive understanding of local regulatory changes, access to leading PIs, strong site connections, and productive patient populations to deliver success for our clients within timelines and budgets."
Novotech is a specialist contract research organization established in 1996. It is headquartered in Australia with offices in 11 countries across the region and five MOUs with major health providers.