Health-Holland

High level of collaboration A factor that distinguishes the Netherlands from its neighbours is the high level of collaboration, which is strongly reflected in the country’s clinical research. Close collaboration between universities, academic medical centres, patient organisations and industry are the norm, resulting in high-quality clinical research. There is a network of industry associations such as ACRON (contract research organisations), Association Innovative Medicines (innovative pharmaceutical industry) and HollandBIO (biotechnology) that work in harmony to strengthen clinical research. Furthermore, numerous stakeholders are united under the banner of the Dutch Clinical Research Foundation (DCRF), focusing on maximising clinical research so that valuable knowledge and science can benefit the patient as rapidly as possible. The foundation comprises of organisations that work closely together to ensure that new, effective, and safe treatment methods are made rapidly available to patients. DCRF members are, amongst others, branch organisations of university medical centres, contract research organisations, drug development companies, medical ethics committees, patients and patient organisations and the government. The DCRF also ensures that the implementation of the new European Clinical Trial Regulation (ECTR) and the transition to the new system will run smoothly. In doing so, it guarantees that the Netherlands remains highly-attractive for the developers of medicines and a perfect location to carry out clinical medical research. Early clinical research The Netherlands is a highly attractive location for early clinical research due to short approval times, excellent quality and high levels of expertise. The majority of the Phase 1 clinical trials are approved within one month. This is relatively rapid in comparison with other European countries and provides companies with a competitive advantage when commencing their clinical trials. In addition to the factors above, the Netherlands benefits from a considerable body of expertise regarding Phase 1 studies. Three large contract research organisations specifically carry out Phase 1 studies. These organisations are valued highly by companies because of their wide-ranging service offering, from study design and protocol development to regulatory submission and clinical conduct and analysis, and also because of their close links with universities and university medical centres. Number of clinical trials (2018) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov Netherlands Germany United Kingdom Belgium France Active studies Recruiting Completed clinical trials 773 1,486 4,581 1,449 2,793 10,195 1,402 2,693 8,261 817 1,436 4,489 1,558 4,919 9,444 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 26