Clinical trials involve testing new therapies with patients. They are a critical step toward bringing new medicines, effective vaccines, and innovative medical devices safely to market. They can result in better medical treatments, better quality of life, cost savings to Canada's health system, new jobs, and revenue for the Canadian economy. Most importantly, clinical trials have the potential to relieve pain and suffering, and to reverse or halt the effects of disease or disability for Canadian patients.
The Canadian Clinical Trials Coordinating Centre (CCTCC) was created to help reverse the decline in clinical trial investment in Canada and improve the clinical trial landscape. This will be achieved through the coordination of clinical trial activities and the streamlining of regulatory processes for companies and researchers.
Specifically, the CCTCC's mandate is to implement the nine recommendations summarized in the report To Your Health and Prosperity – An Action Plan to Help Attract More Clinical Trials to Canada [ PDF (277 KB) ]. Those recommendations are:
- Establish implementation and coordination headquarters and resources;
- Measure, monitor, manage, and market clinical trial performance improvements;
- Integrate health system and research infrastructure to ensure quality and sustainability;
- Improve efficiencies of ethics reviews and advance strategic issues (like accreditation);
- Develop a database of registries and consider a national patient recruitment strategy;
- Adopt common Standard Operating Procedures, training, and certification;
- Improve and use the common clinical trials contract;
- Optimize intellectual property protection policy, as well as Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credits; and
- Signal our interest globally – open a concierge (storefront) service for investors.
About the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR):
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,200 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
About Rx&D:
Rx&D is the association of leading research-based pharmaceutical companies dedicated to improving the health of Canadians through the discovery and development of new medicines and vaccines. Our community represents the men and women working for more than 50 member companies which invest more than $1 billion in research and development each year to fuel Canada's knowledge-based economy, contributing over $3 billion to the Canadian economy. Guided by our Code of Ethical Practices, our membership is committed to working in partnership with governments, private payers, healthcare professionals and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.
About the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations/Canadian Healthcare Association (ACAHO/CHA):
The Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations and the Canadian Healthcare Association merged in January 2014, to form a new, national health organization. Its focus is to advance an integrated, sustainable, and accountable health system that provides Canadians with world-leading health services, and to improve the health of Canadians through an evidence-based and innovative health system.
About the Health Charities Coalition of Canada (HCCC):
HCCC, a member based organization, is dedicated to advocating for sound public policy on health issues and promoting the highest quality health research. HCCC strives for excellence in health policy and seeks to ensure that the federal government and policy makers look to the Coalition and its members for timely advice and leadership on major health issues of concern to Canadians; and that they recognize the competence, commitment and contributions of health charities in improving the health and well-being of Canadians.
