Serbia celebrated International Day of Clinical Trials, which was organized by the Section for Clinical Pharmacology (SCP) of the Serbian Medical Association (SMA). Founded in Belgrade in 1872, the Serbian Medical Association is the largest professional association of doctors in Serbia, who, through their sections, work on development of the medical profession and science in Serbia. The celebration was attended by physicians in all specialties, representatives of Serbian hospitals, contract research organizations (CROs) working in Serbia, sponsor representatives, as well as the management of the Serbian Medical Association.

The International Day of Clinical Trials was begun in Serbia in 2007, the same year that the European Union Clinical Trial Directive was passed by the Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Serbia and incorporated in the Serbian Act, which encompasses the regulations governing the clinical trials of drugs, procedures and contains the documents of clinical trial approval published in the “Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 19/2007.”  It is celebrated on May 20 to commemorate the first comparative trial conducted in 1747 on 12 sailors afflicted with scurvy.  

The president of the Section of Clinical Pharmacology of the Serbian Medical Association, Professor Momir Mikov, M.D., Ph.D., awarded the first Acknowledgment to the President of SMA, Professor Radoje Colovic, for successful collaboration with SCP. Acknowledgments were also awarded to Primarius Dragoljub Ivankovic, M.D., Ph.D., general practitioner, a president of the board of Primarius Awards, and to the Primarius Mirjana Mokovic, a general practitioner, President of the Belgrade SMA Branch and Section of General Medicine, which includes about 8,000 physicians.

Prof. Colovic, emphasized the work of SCP through educational meetings for all doctors, and especially training in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) completed twice a year in SMA, with teachers who are internationally recognized specialists in clinical pharmacology and other specialties. In this way, all doctors had an opportunity to learn about GCP regulations and consequently to participate competently in clinical trials through multicenter international clinical trials. CRO representatives have indicated that, upon such education in GCP, Serbian researchers may be fully qualified and skilled participants in clinical trials. Accordingly, the number of qualitative commercial and academic clinical trials has been increasing in Serbia substantially.  

This way of celebrating the International Day of Clinical Trials is becoming a tradition in SMA, and therefore, SCP is kindly inviting you to be our guests next year.

Dragana Maca Kastratovic, M.D., Ph.D., specialist clinical pharmacology, primarius
Secretary Section of Clinical Pharnacology Serbian Medical Society