On the occasion of the International Day for Clinical Trials (May 20), the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE) stresses, once again, the most important role of Clinical Trials in the protection of Public Health.
It is thanks to clinical research that we have vaccines against COVID-19 less than a year since its outbreak. More than 4,800 clinical studies are conducted worldwide for the discovery of the appropriate COVID-19 treatment, while more than 1,000 candidate drugs are being tested, with 100 of them being candidate vaccines.
SFEE, having fully assimilated the added value of clinical research, has always been a strong and dynamic advocate for its development in Greece, given that our country is lagging behind in the number of clinical trials, compared with European countries of similar size.
More than €36b. are invested annually in Europe in clinical trials, of which Greece sadly absorbs a mere €100mil. In contrast to Greece, Hungary attracts 5 times more, Denmark 30 times more and Belgium 70 times more investments in pharmaceutical Research & Development.
In the last two years, the State proceeded in offering incentives to this end, such as the possibility to offset investments in clinical trials with the clawback each company is obliged to pay back and the tripling of the tax exemption rate for investments in Research & Development. The ensuing result was a small rise in the number of clinical trials effected in our country recently, from 134 clinical trials in 2018, to 154 in 2019 and 175 in 2020. The country’s potential, nevertheless, is much higher.
SFEE has been steadily pursuing over the last years the goal to have Greece established as the investment “hub” for research and development in clinical trials in Southeastern Europe.
#WeWontRest until there is a COVID-19 vaccine for everyone
