Ideas to advance clinical research in the country

The National Institutes of Health defines clinical trials as medical research in which treatments, devices, or drugs are tested on people. Clinical trials are conducted under the care of medical personnel and are used to determine whether treatments, devices, or drugs are effective and safe for curing, preventing, or controlling certain diseases. Research also represents a great benefit for patients because it contributes to access to innovative therapies and medical devices necessary to address the most complex pathologies..

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Additionally, clinical research represents an important source of investment for countries. In Colombia, clinical studies have contributed approximately 123.36 billion pesos to the national GDP. Aside from the economic benefit in terms of investment, the generation of employment for health professionals is positive, especially for the female gender. Since according to figures from the Association of Clinical Research Centers (ACIC Colombia) 95% of study coordinators are women.

Currently, Brazil is the pioneer in Latin America in clinical research. The International Clinical Trials Registry Platform of the World Health Organization reports that Brazil has 21,167 active studies as of May 2024. For its part, Argentina has become a case of success and important growth, where in recent years they have made great progress, reporting 8,144 investigations to date.

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In the case of Colombia, 4,141 studies are recorded, having practically half of the studies achieved by Argentina. It is definitely becoming an interesting challenge to keep up to date with clinical research. At Amgen Colombia we are convinced that research, the advancement of science and addressing the needs of patients in the country is the task of all social actors. Through our Amgen Idea program we are working to achieve the generation of local evidence, putting into practice different strategies that promote cooperative approaches.

It is imperative to highlight that clinical studies, being carried out on human beings, require the highest ethical standards and the procedures must have the maximum protection and safety of the participants. Under this premise, we recognize that there are important challenges, but not impossible to face in order to promote this scientific activity in the country..

Working with partners makes a significant difference, which is why at Amgen Idea we have a group of leading academic leaders in our country, such as the National University, the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and the Universidad de los Andes.

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These alliances allow us to foster students’ development and interest in science, through training and professional experiences in the medical field of a research and development laboratory such as Amgen.

As a country we have great opportunities to energize the health sector. Some ideas include cooperative work between the public, private and the Academy. We need to adjust the infrastructure and incorporate technological advances into the processes of regulatory bodies such as Invima, in order to catch up on the pending tasks we have with Clinical research, which today shows significant progress in the region, as confirmed by figures from Brazil and Argentina.

Colombia’s potential is evident to join this task that facilitates access to innovative and advanced therapies to treat complex pathologies, allows us to be a reference center with local data, strengthens the economy, but above all, understands that science is an instrument that saves lives and needs to be documented and evidenced in the local environment to offer well-being and health to Colombians. This is the right time for all actors in the health system to unite and seek joint paths that will once again position the country as a pioneer in clinical research.

Catalina Hoyos
Medical Director of Amgen Colombia