Novartis partners with St. Luke’s Medical Center

MANILA, Philippines - Novartis Healthcare Philippines and St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to establish a Center of Excellence for Clinical Trials that will focus on research and development of innovative medicine and vaccines. “This groundbreaking partnership combines the strengths of a world-renowned, research-driven biopharmaceutical company and one of the world’s best academic healthcare institutions,” said Dr. Edgardo Cortez, president and CEO of SLMC-Quezon City.

“Our partnership with SLMC is in line with our company’s commitment to strengthen the country’s clinical research capabilities and enhance Philippine health care,” said Thomas Weigold, country president and managing director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

Leveraging its institutionalized R&D process, Novartis has extensive experience in conducting clinical research on a global scale. Thanks to its strong research thrust, the company has one of the strongest and most productive pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry, with approximately 140 projects in clinical development, many of which are new molecular entities.

“Novartis has a long-established track record of research productivity. During the last four years, Novartis has received more approvals in the US and Europe for new molecular entities than other pharmaceutical companies,” said Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

SLMC is one of the few private hospitals in the country with a strong R&D focus, global clinical trial capabilities, and internationally trained clinical researchers.

Established in July 1995, the Research and Biotechnology Division (RBD) oversees SLMC’s state-of-the-art biomedical research facility, the first of its kind in the Philippines.

“The RBD aims to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice through interdisciplinary partnerships between scientists and physicians in the conduct of high-quality biomedical research,” said SLMC vice president for research Dr. Filipinas Natividad.

Under the MOA, Novartis will prioritize SLMC as a site for its clinical research projects that will be conducted in the Philippines while SLMC will consider Novartis as a preferred research partner. Clinical research activities will focus on the following areas: Good Clinical Practice (GCP), pharmacovigilance, biotechnology workshops (BioCamp), capacity building on clinical trial protocols review, research coordinators certification training, observational visits to clinical research centers in other countries, and innovative research.

Novartis will also provide SLMC’s clinical trial team with financial support to undergo relevant trainings locally and abroad, conduct innovative research, pioneer new services such as Pharmacovigilance Centers, and publish scientific papers in respected local and international journals.

To encourage innovation, the company also plans to confer the “SLMC-Novartis Research Award” to any member of the clinical trial team who makes an outstanding contribution to R&D.

“Through this synergistic collaboration between Novartis and SLMC, we aim to help enhance the quality of clinical research in the country and develop the Philippines as a R&D hub in the region,” said Christine Fajardo, corporate affairs and market access director of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.