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It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this consultation workshop on clinical trial opportunities in Viet Nam, hosted by Hanoi Medical University, the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
This meeting is important, because we all benefit from clinical trials. Clinical trials provide evidence of whether medicines and medical products are safe and effective for human use. The paracetamol I took yesterday for a headache was available to me because of a clinical trial. The cancer drugs used to treat my father’s cancer became available because of a clinical trial. The medication my mum takes every day to manage her tachycardia is thanks to a clinical trial. The drugs used to improve my nephew’s quality of life as he lives with a rare genetic condition were made possible because of a clinical trial.
I could go on … but I am sure you see the point. Without clinical trials, we wouldn’t have access to drugs, and in particular to new and better treatments for a whole range of diseases. So clinical trials matter to all of us. And therefore, we all have something to gain from strengthening the clinical trials ‘ecosystem’ – that is, making it easier, quicker and more efficient to conduct quality clinical trials.
At the outset I would especially like to welcome Ambassador Frew, and acknowledge the UK’s very strong support for this area of work – both through its bilateral relationship with Viet Nam, but also your support to WHO – through a grant from the Department of Health and Social Care that is making our work on this important topic possible.
Over the past three decades, Viet Nam has enjoyed rapid development, remarkable economic growth and a significant expansion in access to health care. The Government has recently adopted Resolution 72, designed to accelerate ‘breakthrough’ solutions to improve public health – including an emphasis on ensuring access to quality medicines, equipment and vaccines. The Government has made clear its ambition for scientific and technological advancement, for example, in Resolution Number 57, which includes a very strong focus on promoting the domestic pharmaceutical industry and strengthening the coordination and capacity of scientific research through universities, research institutes and industry partners.
So the time really is right to be having this conversation – including about the links between clinical trials and the broader research and innovation agenda; the importance of a strong environment for conducting clinical trials for the development of the domestic pharmaceutical industry; and of course – the importance of clinical trials for public health: that is, for enabling the development of new therapies, diagnostics and technologies that can transform health and lives.
Over the past 20 years, Viet Nam’s clinical trial landscape has expanded impressively. However, challenges still persist.
Regulatory hurdles, funding limitations, and infrastructure constraints continue to pose obstacles to the full realization of Viet Nam’s clinical research potential.
Yet, these challenges also present opportunities — opportunities to further optimize and improve the clinical trials ecosystem, enabling high-impact and timely clinical trials that can deliver safe and effective interventions for those who need them most.
By discussing how we can enhance the clinical trials ecosystem, there is a huge opportunity to operationalize the ambitious goals set out in Resolutions 57 and 72, and in doing so strengthen the health sector’s capacity to meet the changing needs of Viet Nam’s population into the future.
Obviously, this is a long-term agenda, but we hope that today’s workshop will be an important step along this path.
In all of this work, we at WHO are guided by our Global Action Plan for Clinical Trial Ecosystem Strengthening.
This plan offers a comprehensive framework to support countries in building and sustaining efficient, responsive and ethical clinical trial systems.
It sets out nine key action areas to improve the innovation, design, conduct and oversight of clinical trials, with the aim of building sustainable, efficient, and inclusive ecosystems that generate high-quality evidence to inform policy and practice.
In line with this ambition, we hope this workshop today will not only contribute building the clinical trials ecosystem in Viet Nam – but also foster Viet Nam’s contribution to the international community in science, medical innovation and development.
So let me close by thanking you all again for being here, by thanking again the UK for your support, and HMU and OUCRU for your partnership.
I look forward to today’s discussions as we work together to build a safer and healthier Viet Nam.
Xin cảm ơn.