The University of Debrecen (UD) and MSD Pharma Hungary Kft. (MSD) have concluded a strategic cooperation agreement for clinical trials. The research and development cooperation between the higher education institution and the Hungarian subsidiary of the global pharmaceutical company promotes faster initiation of tests and early access to innovative therapies for patients.
Ten years ago, the management of the University of Debrecen decided to put clinical pharmacology and clinical drug trials at the institution on a new foundation. As a first step in this, the Pharmaceutical Development Coordination Center was established in 2013, as a result of which the university’s recognition in the field of clinical research and drug testing has increased significantly in recent years.
– The complex activities of the unit, which is now called the Pharmaceutical and Food Development Coordination Center, have resulted in significant quality progress in the field. We hope that this development will get a new impetus through the collaboration that has just been signed – stressed Zoltán Szilvássy, the rector of the University of Debrecen, on Tuesday at the signing of the cooperation agreement between the institution and the pharmaceutical company.
Twenty-six active MSD trials are currently underway at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen, involving 141 patients and 10 different trial leaders, and three trials will be launched in the near future.
The reputation of the Clinical Center, its extensive patient base, its internationally outstanding team of specialists and the modern infrastructure provide excellent conditions for the further development of the pharmacological field, increasing the number and effectiveness of examinations
– pointed out Zoltán Szabó, president of the UD Clinical Center.
Dénes Páll, the director of the Coordination Center for Drug and Food Development, which organizes the clinical trials, said that during the ten-year existence of the center, in addition to the coordination of the trials, the aim was to increase their number and facilitate their smooth execution.
We have established special partnerships with several international pharmaceuticals and monitor companies. As a result of the collaborations, 326 clinical trials are currently running at the University of Debrecen. The studies available at the institution cover the entire clinical spectrum, and the university is prepared and licensed to conduct clinical trials of any phase. Access to state-of-the-art therapies under regulated conditions, even before pedigree registration, and free use is a great opportunity for those for whom traditional preparations did not bring the desired results
– added the professor.
The number of pharmaceutical company trials and the number of patients involved in them has been steadily increasing in Debrecen over the past three years. This trend gains further impetus by raising cooperation to a higher level.
MSD’s clinical research program reached another milestone with the strategic contract signed with the University of Debrecen. In Hungary’s dominant knowledge center, we have already had the opportunity to work together in a number of indications. The majority of our investigations currently taking place here are of an oncological nature, which is the main focus of MSD’s current clinical activity. In addition, research is also being conducted in other therapeutic areas, and the university provides an excellent opportunity to expand these. In Debrecen, the first stage of research, so-called early-phase clinical trials, can also be carried out, so this can also be one of the possible directions for activity expansion. Our goal is to serve the interests of patients, to make effective treatments more accessible: this cooperation also supports this
– highlighted Isabel Gruber, the managing director of MSD in Hungary.
As a pharmaceutical company with one of the most significant research programs in our country, MSD is currently conducting 74 clinical trials regulated by ethical and official standards across the country at 278 test sites, involving 960 volunteer patients. As an innovative pharmaceutical company, MSD is one of the largest R&D investors in Hungary: it spends HUF 2-3 billion on clinical trials every year. Globally, the company reinvests more than a quarter of its annual revenue into research and development.
– MSD is now facing a turning point. In addition to the dominance of oncology in recent years, it seems that we also have molecules in the early or pre-clinical phase in the cardiovascular field, which could cause a real scientific breakthrough. There are still a few years before they reach the phase of clinical trials – explained Szabolcs Barótfi, the Hungarian clinical research director of MSD.
The strategic cooperation agreement between the higher education institution and the pharmaceutical company was signed by Zoltán Szilvássy, rector of DE, and Isabel Marieluise Gruber, managing director of MSD in Hungary, on Tuesday at the University of Debrecen.
unideb.hu
