- Clinical Trials Day celebrates the role of researchers in medical breakthroughs
- Western Australia playing a key role in clinical trials space
- Cook Labor Government committed to improving patient access to cutting edge treatments here in WA
The Cook Labor Government is marking Clinical Trials Day by progressing work to strengthen Western Australia's clinical trials ecosystem and improve patient access to world-class treatments.
Clinical Trials Day recognises the key role this work plays in advancing medical research, improving health outcomes and giving patients access to cutting-edge therapies.
Western Australia currently plays an important role in the clinical trial space, this includes last year's opening of the Linear Advanced Clinical Trial Centre which offers cancer patients access to cutting edge treatment options.
Since 2020, the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund has contributed over $3.8 million in funding to Linear Clinical Research, with $2.25 million of that funding going toward the establishment of an early phase clinical trials centre in Joondalup.
Regional Western Australia is also playing an important role, with clinical trials underway in Albany and in the Goldfields-Esperance region.
The Cook Labor Government has committed $6 million over three years to deliver ClinicalTrialsWA, a centrally co-ordinated, system-wide approach to clinical trials embedded across WA Health. This initiative forms part of the WA Clinical Trials Roadmap and is focused on building a more connected, efficient and competitive clinical trials environment.
The investment is supporting the recruitment of a dedicated clinical trials workforce across WA Health, including clinical trials coordinators in all health service providers and clinical trial nurses across metropolitan and regional services.
The recent establishment of the ClinicalTrialsWA Network is improving collaboration across the system, bringing together clinicians, researchers and health services to identify and address barriers to trials and drive system-wide improvements.
Further strengthening this work, a WA Clinical Trials Roundtable will be held in late June, bringing together stakeholders from across the sector to align priorities and ensure strong integration between the health system and the broader clinical trials ecosystem.
As stated by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Clinical trials are the engine of modern healthcare, giving Western Australians access to the latest treatments while improving outcomes right across our health system.
"Through our Clinical Trials Roadmap, the Cook Labor Government is building a stronger, more connected system that makes clinical trials a routine part of care in Western Australia.
"Through the ClinicalTrialsWA network, 11 new jobs have been created to strengthen collaboration across this important sector in our health system.
"On Clinical Trials Day, we recognise the researchers, clinicians and participants driving this work forward, and reaffirm our commitment to a world-class medical research sector here in Western Australia."
