Novartis ties up with NKTI on clinical research center

MANILA, Philippines - Novartis Healthcare Phils. and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to establish a Center of Excellence for Clinical Research that will focus on discovering and developing innovative medicine and vaccines.

“Service, training and research for the benefit of Filipino patients are the mandates of NKTI. We are pleased to work with research-driven biopharmaceutical company Novartis in fulfilling our mission,” said NKTI executive director Dr. Jose Dante Dator.

“Our partnership with NKTI is in line with our company’s commitment to strengthen the country’s clinical research capabilities and enhance Philippine healthcare,” said Thomas Weigold, country president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Phils.

Leveraging its institutionalized R&D process, Novartis has extensive experience in conducting clinical research on a global scale. Thanks to its strong research thrust, it has one of the strongest and most productive pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry, with about 140 projects in clinical development, many of which are new molecular entities.

Novartis has a long-established track record of research productivity. During the last four years, it has received more approvals in the US and Europe for new molecular entities than other pharmaceutical companies.

In late 2008, Novartis officially included the Philippines in its International Clinical Research Operations (ICRO), allocating two clinical trials on hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus to the country.

Since then, Novartis has conducted 18 global trials in cardiovascular, respiratory, and integrated hospital care in the country, enrolling more than 800 patients in more than 60 sites. It currently has the most number of active clinical trials focused on cardiovascular indications in the Philippines.

“We are committed to helping improve Philippine healthcare through research. To date, Novartis has invested approximately P200 million in global and local clinical trials,” said Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer of Novartis Healthcare Phils.

“As one of the country’s foremost hospitals, NKTI has large-scale clinical trial capabilities through its multidisciplinary team of internationally trained specialists. We are pleased to join forces with Novartis for the benefit of Filipino patients,” Dr. Romina Danguilan, chairperson of the Department of Adult Nephrology and officer-in-charge deputy director for medical education of NKTI.

Established in 1981, the NKTI is one of Asia’s leading kidney transplant centers. The tertiary medical specialty center in Quezon City is the center for referral of kidney patients from various regional hospitals in the country and is recognized as the lead agency in voluntary blood donation services.

Under the MOA, Novartis will prioritize NKTI as a site for its clinical research projects that will be conducted in the Philippines while NKTI will consider Novartis as a preferred research partner.

Clinical research activities will focus on the following areas: Good Clinical Practice (GCP), pharmacovigilance, biotechnology workshops (BioCamp), capacity building on clinical trial protocols review, research coordinators’ certification training, observational visits to clinical research centers in other countries, and innovative research.

“This partnership between Novartis and NKTI will help enhance the quality of clinical research in the country and develop the Philippines as a R&D hub in the region,” said Christine Fajardo, corporate affairs and market access director of Novartis Healthcare Phils.