AsianScientist (May 8, 2013) – Taiwan’s National Research Program for Biopharmaceuticals (NRPB) inked yesterday a five-year partnership with the U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC to develop Taiwan as a clinical trial hub in Asia.
Funded by the National Science Council (NSC), the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), the NRPB has an annual budget of US$85 million and helps to bridge academic research and industry by streamlining the operating system of pre-clinical testing and early clinical trials.
The memorandum of understanding, which was signed by NRPB Director Yang Pan-chyr and Glaxo Taiwan General Manager Thomas Willemsen, is Taiwan’s largest clinical trial collaboration to date, and includes over 20 intra-hospital early-phase clinical research projects such as vaccines for tuberculosis and influenza type A and B.
“We hope this memorandum will further cement our partnership with Glaxo and expect it to be the start of more joint projects with pharmaceutical firms worldwide,” Yang said. “It should also help establish Taiwan as a front-runner in clinical trial research.”
Since 2007, Glaxo has spent over US$33.89 million in Taiwan on joint R&D activities with local medical institutions. It has more than 20 experiments taking place in the country representing 13 percent of the firm’s projects worldwide.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine.
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