The Canadian government has created a Canadian Clinical Trials Coordinating Center (CCTCC)—a collaborative effort of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) and the merged organizations of the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations and the Canadian Healthcare Association (ACAHO/CHA). The CCTCC will be housed at the offices of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada in Ottawa.

Clinical trials are a critical step toward bringing new medicines, effective vaccines and innovative medical devices safely to market. They can result in better medical treatments, better quality of life and cost savings to Canada's health system, and new jobs and revenue for the Canadian economy. Most importantly, clinical trials have the potential to relieve pain and suffering, and to reverse or halt the effects of disease or disability for Canadian patients.

The CCTCC will improve the coordination of clinical trial activities and streamline regulatory processes for companies and researchers. This will be achieved by implementing the recommendations produced by an extensive stakeholder consultation. Those recommendations were summarized in the report To Your Health and Prosperity—An Action Plan to Help Attract More Clinical Trials to Canada.

The government also announced the appointment of Belinda Vandersluis as the organization's director of implementation. Vandersluis brings to the CCTCC senior leadership experience in clinical trials research administration, an understanding of the complexities of conducting clinical trials in Canada and internationally and longstanding ties to the clinical trials community.

Clinical trials are a key element of Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). SPOR is a national coalition of federal, provincial and territorial partners (patient advocates, provincial health authorities, academic health centers, charities, philanthropic organizations, pharmaceutical sector) dedicated to the integration of research into care. SPOR focuses on ensuring the right patient receives the right treatment at the right time.

Russell Williams, president, Rx&D, said, "The innovative pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in the discovery and development of medicines and vaccines that improve and saves human lives. It is our goal, through this partnership, to build Canada's position as a leader in clinical research, to create jobs and increase research and development investments in Canada for the benefit of all Canadians."