KUALA LUMPUR, October 27 – The CRM Trial Connect 2022 conference, organised by Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), was launched last Friday at the Pullman Hotel, KLCC. Officiated by the Health Minister, YB Khairy Jamaluddin, the conference was themed “Accelerating Malaysia in Global Clinical Trials”. This conference promotes Malaysia’s capabilities, experiences and achievements in multinational clinical research. Targeting those within the clinical research fraternity, the conference attracted international and national clinical trial sponsors, contract research organisations (CROs), clinician-investigators, research institutions and other clinical research stakeholders.
The two-day conference attended by more than 350 delegates, provided an excellent platform to re-establish old and develop new connections and networks with clinical research industry players and investigators, while serving as an excellent platform to understand the country’s clinical research landscape and potential. A forum with the Minister of Health and key experts in the clinical research field kicked off the conference session. The experts shared on the opportunities, challenges, and their vision for a robust and thriving clinical research ecosystem.
A significant item during the conference launch was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and the National Centre for Global Health and Medicine and Remedy & Company Corporation, both organizations from Japan. Also present was the National Cancer Center of Japan which has ongoing collaboration with CRM in cancer clinical trials. The signing ceremony was witnessed by YB Khairy Jamaluddin and HE Takahashi Katsuhiko, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia. The inking of the collaboration was made more memorable as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy (LEP).
The partnerships extends the relationship with Japan’s clinical research giants to advance Malaysia’s capabilities and capacities in areas including but not limited to infrastructure development of Malaysia’s trial sites, opportunities for cancer genomic medicine and improving drug access for Malaysia’s cancer patients. In his keynote address, YB Khairy Jamaluddin commented, “The Ministry of Health acknowledges the significant impact of industry-sponsored research and its contribution to the country’s economy and the health of its people. Malaysia has inherent qualities that make us an attractive clinical trial hub.
The country’s multi-racial patient population, established healthcare infrastructure, a large pool of experts in specialised medical fields, and its strong ethical and regulatory practices are just some of the advantages the country has to offer”. Expanding further on the benefits of becoming a clinical trial hub, YB Khairy Jamaluddin shared, “Close to 2000 sponsored research studies have been approved by our ethics committees in the last decade, with a cumulative contract clinical research value of about 900 million Malaysian ringgit.
