New Report Shows Ohio Clinical Trials Benefit Patients, the Economy and Science

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Working in collaboration with Ohio's university medical schools and science centers, hospitals and clinical research organizations, the nation's biopharmaceutical research companies have conducted nearly 5,000 clinical trials of new medicines in the state since 1999, a new study shows.

According to "Research in Your Backyard:  Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials in Ohio," trials of new drugs have been conducted in communities all over the state, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Canton, Akron, Toledo and Middletown. In Columbus, 103 trials of new cancer medicines have been conducted.

The report – compiled by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) – shows that almost half of the trials conducted in the state over the last 13 years have targeted the nation's and Ohio's most debilitating chronic diseases – asthma, cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and mental illnesses.

The new PhRMA clinical trials report was released at a news conference at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.  Attendees included: Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, chairman of the House Health and Aging Committee; Senator Jim Hughes, Co-Chair of the Ohio Cancer Caucus, Matthew Hare, Associate Director of Development at The Ohio State Medical Center, and Multiple Myeloma Survivor; Tony Dennis, President and CEO of BioOhio and Co-Chair of We Work For Health, Ohio, Andy Doehrel, President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of We Work For Health, Ohio; and Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

PhRMA spokeswoman Kaelan Hollon, who summarized the findings of the report, stressed that clinical trials in Ohio have been important to the state's patients, economy and the advancement of science.  From the standpoint of patients, Hollon said nearly 500 of the state's trials are still recruiting participants "and that's important because for some disease sufferers, clinical tests of new drugs could provide viable therapeutic options to discuss with their doctors.  The report's appendix helps people learn more about each trial."

Hollon also said Ohio's new medicine trials have been important for patients because biopharmaceutical companies and their local research collaborators have targeted disease wisely by concentrating on the most debilitating and widespread chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Clinical trials are important to the state's economy because companies hire local research institutions to conduct the tests.  And it's been estimated trials account for 45 to 75 percent of the average $1.2 billion cost of developing one new biotechnology drug.

"These trials of new medicines are a good steady source of revenue for Ohio's clinical research centers," said Hollon.

The tests help to advance science and, ultimately, patient health care, she added, since many of the medications that have been clinically researched in the Buckeye State are cutting-edge biotechnology treatments, including monoclonal antibody therapies for cancer and the autoimmune disease lupus.  Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made versions of a naturally-occurring immune system protein that binds to and neutralizes foreign toxic substances. 

Biotechnology drugs are the result of novel biological processes that give biopharmaceutical companies the strong potential to develop safer and more effective treatments.  "Through biotechnology, we are improving our ability to predict, preempt and even prevent disease," said Hollon. 

New drug trials that have been conducted in Ohio since 1999 are critical to the development of medicines, accounting for up to seven of the 10 to 15 years required to develop a therapy.  Large volumes of technical and scientific data – sometimes tens of thousands of pages – are generated and the tests involve participation by thousands of patients.

"This testing is so extensive because clinical trials help to establish product safety and effectiveness and allow the Food and Drug Administration to approve new medications," said Dr. Salvatore Alesci, PhRMA's vice president of scientific affairs.

Research institutions in Ohio that have conducted or are conducting trials include the:

• Akron Children's Hospital, Akron.
• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland.
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland.
• Cardiology Associates of Southeast Ohio, Zanesville.
• Neurology and Neuroscience Center of Ohio, Toledo.
• Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati.
• Cincinnati Addiction Research Center, Cincinnati.
• Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus.
• University of Toledo, Toledo.
• Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Center and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus.
• Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus.
• Ohio Cancer Specialists, Mansfield.
• Dayton Clinical Oncology Program, Dayton.
• ProMedica Health System, Toledo.
• Forum Health Cancer Care Center, Youngstown.
• Wells Institute for Health Awareness, Kettering.
• Your Diabetes Endocrine Nutrition Group, Mentor.
• Clinical Research Limited, Canton.
• Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens.
• Family Practice Center, Wadsworth.
• Good Samaritan Hospital, Dayton.
• Harrington-McLaughlin Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $49.5 billion in 2011 in discovering and developing new medicines.

Find PhRMA Online:

• Website – http://www.phrma.org
• facebook – www.facebook.com/PhRMA
• Blog – www.phrma.org/catalyst
• Twitter – www.Twitter.com/PhRMA and www.Twitter.com/PhRMApress
• YouTube – www.youtube.com/PhRMApress

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org

For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org

SOURCE The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

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