Industry and clinicians met during the ESC Congress in Madrid: “Show your strengths, and deliver quickly!”
“We never question the quality of data from clinical trials in Norway and the Nordic countries, but good quality alone is not enough, it also has to be fast and efficiently delivered.”
This was said by Professor Martin Cowie, Clinical Vice President, Cardiovascular & Renal, Late-stage Development CVRM at AstraZeneca.
He was one of the panel participants when representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, the medical device industry, and no less than six Norwegian hospitals met to network in connection with the European Society for Cardiology (ESC) conference in Madrid.
The networking event took place at a hotel in Madrid on August 29, and was organized by NorTrials, the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Norway (LMI), Melanor and Innovation Norway, with support from the Norwegian embassy.
Political commitment in Norway
On his first official assignment as the new ambassador to Spain, Lars Andersen welcomed the attendees and highlighted Norway’s advantages as a host country for cardiology trials.
“Norway, a country known for its fantastic landscapes and rich cultural heritage, has also become a leading player on the global arena for clinical research and development,” said Andersen.
Andersen also pointed out that the political will to invest in clinical trials in Norway, and the initiatives from the government, support comprehensive European and Nordic efforts in the global competition to attract trials to the region.
- Be proud
Peder Myhre, head of the NorTrials Center for Cardiovascular Diseases at Akershus University Hospital (Ahus), also emphasized Norway’s excellent potential for succeeding in attracting more industry trials.
Martin Cowie put it simply: Clinicians must know what looks good to industry when they consider where they want to place their trials.
“You have to decide what you want to use as your unique selling points and focus on that. Showcase it and be proud of what you do,” said Cowie.
Peder Myhre added that it is somewhat un-Norwegian to promote oneself, but stated that in this context, it is necessary to step up and show our strengths.
“We truly have excellent health data, we have trusting patients who wish to participate in clinical trials, and we have NorTrials as success factors for making this work,” said Myhre.
The value of face to face-meetings
Signe Fretland, head of the NorTrials coordinating unit, presented what the goals of NorTrials are and what NorTrials is doing to attract more studies to Norway.
“Our experience is that meeting arenas like this, with face-to-face introductions and discussions, lower the threshold for establishing and maintaining contact about new studies and future projects. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to use this opportunity to expand your national and international network,” said Fretland.
Hilde Færvik, special adviser for health and life sciences, represented Innovation Norway in the panel discussion.
“We have one of the best healthcare systems in Europe, and Innovation Norway works to create more meeting places between industry and healthcare services. We can offer tailored services to companies and act as a guide to the Norwegian system,” said Færvik.
Promise to accelerate
Helge Røsjø, research and innovation director at Ahus, said that they are taking all the good input with them, especially the points from Cowie.
“It takes time to build up the infrastructure, but we are going to accelerate, and we are going to deliver,” promised Røsjø.