Novotech, the Asia-Pacific CRO, has published data detailing the current status of clinical trials in the Asia-Pacific region during the global COVID-19 crisis.

According to their data, the top 10 biotech sites in Australia are still open for clinical trial activity – with many sites modifying their practices to ensure continuity of operations. These 10 sites account for about a third of the clinical activity of biotechnology companies in the country. All top 10 sites are currently open for clinical trial activity including monitoring.

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Novotech’s Bulletin research series taps local knowledge of fundamentals in the sector and shows which countries in the region are able to support clinical research for biotechnology companies during this time.

While the situation is always evolving, Australia appears to be managing the crisis well. Sites have changed how they manage trials in line with the most recent health guidelines from both the WHO and the Australian government – and most are still able to deliver the clinical trial services their clients need.

Because Australia is well placed to deliver clinical assessment, it’s also believed that study delays caused by COVID-19 could possibly be addressed by activating new sites in Australia and Asia.

“Australia now has one of the highest testing rates in the world with more than 11,600 people tested for every million.”

The reason for this thinking is Australia’s attractive start-up times, world leading investigators and research teams..

Australia now has one of the highest testing rates in the world with more than 11,600 people tested for every million according to Worldometer, a statistics website whose purpose is to make statistics widely available for free

A majority of sites continue to be very interested in new studies. Patient recruitment is temporarily on hold in many public sites while recruitment continues in private sites (particularly phase 1 units).

At the moment, over 60% of Novotech sites in Australia allow for remote monitoring and 30% of the sites remain open to on-site monitoring.

View and Download the COVID-19 Australia Data Bulletin here.