Pfizer signs drug trial deal with Newcastle Hospitals Trust

Pfizer has signed a new deal with the Newcastle Hospitals Trust, with the organisation being awarded INSPIRE ((Investigator Networks, SitePartnerships and Infrastructure for Research Excellence) site status.

As part of INSPIRE, Pfizer and Newcastle Hospitals Trust will bring expert knowledge and experience of medicines research, to bring innovative new medicines to patients in Britain and around the globe.

Newcastle Hospitals will exist as a Pfizer-preferred international site for future studies, meaning that those treated at the institutions could gain access to the latest advances in treatments.

The INSPIRE partnership aims to make the UK a world leader in life sciences by embedding a research culture within the NHS and developing an environment to encourage more studies.

Jonathan Emms, UK managing director of Pfizer Ltd, said: “The UK is an important place for Pfizer to do research and like the government, we want to see a strong research culture in the NHS and a positive environment for life sciences in the UK. 

“Industry and NHS partnerships, such as the INSPIRE programme with Newcastle Hospitals Trust, will play a key part in achieving this vision and, more importantly, in bringing the latest innovative medicines and treatments to UK patients.”

Prime minister David Cameron also commented on the agreement, expressed his delight that Pfizer chose Newcastle Hospitals Trust to be one of its international sites for clinical research.

“This decision shows that our efforts to cut bureaucracy and to encourage more businesses to expand in the UK are succeeding. The UK is now a much more attractive location for clinical trials,” Mr Cameron continued.

Paddy Stevenson, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) operations manager at Newcastle Hospitals, also said that the move indicates the unique infrastructure and investment made by Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University in the last few years.

“We have world-class clinical research facilities supported by the National Institute for Health Research, and over 300 leading clinical research staff, all dedicated to ensuring that our specialists can support their patients to participate in research in all disease areas,” he explained.