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The need for multicentre cardiovascular clinical trials in Asia

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 10, pages 355–362 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Historically, the USA and European countries have been the dominant figures in medical research. However, in the past 10 years, Asia has emerged as a new 'hot spot' for clinical research owing to the tremendous potential generated by steady economic growth, remarkable advances in research and development capacity, and an expanding population. However, investigators involved with the set-up and conduct of multicentre trials in such a vast and heterogeneous continent face huge challenges—bridging the fundamental differences between the Asian countries, such as languages, resources, regulatory procedural timelines, and the general understanding of clinical research. In this Perspectives article, we explain why Asia should be established as a hub for large multicentre trials, discuss the challenges involved, and highlight the importance of a strong collaborative infrastructure for multiple investigational sites in this culturally diverse continent.

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Figure 1: The number of all registered clinical trials from 2008 to 2012 worldwide.
Figure 2: Proportion of mortality related to cardiovascular disease (% of total deaths, all ages) in Asian countries (2008 estimates).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Heart Education And Research Training (HEART) Centre and Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Institute of Vascular Medicine, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, S. H. Ho Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 30–32 Ngan Shing Street, Sha Tin District, New Territories, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

    Joey S. W. Kwong & Cheuk-Man Yu

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Both authors researched data and discussed the content of the article, and wrote the manuscript. C.-M. Yu reviewed and edited the article before submission.

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Correspondence to Cheuk-Man Yu.

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Kwong, J., Yu, CM. The need for multicentre cardiovascular clinical trials in Asia. Nat Rev Cardiol 10, 355–362 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2013.49

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