By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, Sept 30: Miri Hospital is strengthening its position as a clinical research hub in Sarawak through a new partnership with Novo Nordisk Pharma (Malaysia) aimed at expanding its expertise, infrastructure and capacity for high-quality multicentre and global trials involving major chronic diseases.
Miri Hospital director Dr Jack Wong Siew Yu said the strategic partnership marked another significant milestone in the hospital’s 16-year clinical research journey.
“Initially, our aim was to diversify our clinical work while at the same time expanding treatment options for patients through participation in clinical trials.
“After 16 years, research activities have grown significantly, as has our research team,” he said in his speech at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Miri Hospital today, according to a TVS report.
Dr Jack said the hospital had adopted a clinical research-friendly approach by assessing every research opportunity it received to determine whether it could be implemented based on its capabilities.
This approach, he said, had gradually strengthened the confidence of industry players and clinical research organisations in Miri Hospital as a research site.
“Many clinical research organisations now know where Miri is and are aware of our capabilities in conducting clinical trials,” he added.
The collaboration with Novo Nordisk is also not new, with Miri Hospital having participated in clinical trials conducted by the company since 2019.
Dr Jack described the selection of Miri Hospital as the first government hospital in Malaysia for such a strategic collaboration as a reflection of the confidence placed in its research team.
“This collaboration will bring Miri Hospital to the next level in strengthening our capacity to conduct high-quality clinical trials, develop more researchers and research personnel, as well as establish stronger and more sustainable research infrastructure,” he said.
Through the MoU, both parties will strengthen Miri Hospital’s capacity to undertake multicentre clinical research while developing the expertise and infrastructure needed to support high-quality trials.
The collaboration will cover chronic diseases including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, in line with Novo Nordisk’s research and development expertise. — DayakDaily
