Clinical trials activity of Synexus in Hungary increases 25% in first-half of 2010

Synexus clinical trials activity in Hungary has increased by 25% during the first half of 2010. The company's Dedicated Research Centre has been operating in Hungary since 2006 and has become one of the company's most successful CEE sites. The Budapest-based operation has been involved in excess of 74 trials since being acquired by Synexus, and randomized over 600 patients.

Dr Erika Nemeth, Synexus' Country Manager in Hungary, believes that the trend for more clinical trials to be conducted in Hungary will continue: "The high standards of medical and research & development expertise in Hungary have resulted in high levels of participation in clinical trials and mean that pharma and biotech companies remain keen to include Hungary in their global clinical trial programmes. There are no signs that this trend is set to decline and we continue to see high levels of interest from leading sponsors as well as smaller, innovative biotechs."

The prevalence of chronic conditions including CVD and COPD amongst the Hungarian population, together with little preventative healthcare and healthcare education provision, means that the treatment naïve population there remains substantial and therefore attractive for clinical trials. Also the pharmaceutical market in Hungary is set to increase significantly in the coming decade, encouraging the major players to establish a stronger and more proactive presence here before their new drugs come to market.

Synexus Chief Executive, Michael Fort said that the productivity of investigators, the attractive overhead costs and the world-renowned medical expertise and innovation in Hungary, make it one of his company's key areas for future development: "The clinical trials environment in Hungary is ideal for Synexus. The development of the sector is being actively encouraged by the authorities, the enthusiasm and productivity of the medical professionals is widely acknowledged and the demand for better healthcare means that the population is far more open to taking advantage of the benefits of joining a clinical trial. From a cost point of view, there are definite advantages, and in the current economic climate, these are undeniably attractive to us and also to trial sponsors. Just as in other CEE countries like Poland and Ukraine, we are seeing very encouraging levels of interest in conducting more trials in Hungary."