Clinical Trials for Domestic COVID-19 Treatment Drug to Be Conducted at Community Treatment Centers

COVID-19 treatments under development in Korea. Daewoong Pharmaceutical's Hoistar tablets, Shinpung Pharmaceutical's Piramex tablets, Chong Kun Dang's Napabeltan injection (from left). Photo by Lee Chunhee

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Clinical trials for the development of domestically produced COVID-19 treatments will be conducted at residential treatment centers.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Clinical Trial Support Foundation announced on the 20th that they have additionally selected five institutions to operate residential treatment centers dedicated to clinical trials supporting the development of domestically produced COVID-19 treatments.

This selection was made through a public recruitment for institutions to operate residential treatment centers dedicated to clinical trials from the 6th to the 13th, followed by an evaluation committee review on the 17th. The five selected institutions are Kyung Hee Medical Center in Seoul, Boramae Medical Center in Seoul, Incheon Sejong Hospital, Myongji Hospital in Gyeonggi, and Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital. Together with the currently operating clinical trial institutions, Seoul Medical Center and Seoul Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, a total of seven institutions are expected to conduct clinical trials for the development of domestically produced COVID-19 treatments.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will support the selected institutions (partner hospitals) in establishing clinical trial infrastructure at the operating residential treatment centers. Through contract signing and project fund allocation, full-scale support for linking clinical trials of domestically produced COVID-19 treatments will begin early next year to facilitate rapid clinical trials. Additionally, patient recruitment will be supported by prioritizing the assignment of patients willing to participate in treatment clinical trials to residential treatment centers dedicated to clinical trials according to the severity of their condition.

Although the development of domestic oral treatments for mild to moderate patients is urgent, clinical trials for treatments must be conducted in isolation at hospitals or facilities with actual COVID-19 patients, making it difficult to secure trial spaces and recruit patients early in symptom onset. This has made smooth clinical trials for treatment development challenging. However, these difficulties are expected to be somewhat alleviated going forward.

In the future, the selected institutions will secure infectious disease specialists and others necessary for conducting clinical trials and support expedited Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews, which is expected to accelerate the development of domestic treatments.

Lee Hyung-hoon, Director of the Health Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “To develop domestically produced COVID-19 treatments, it is most important to create an environment that allows clinical trials to be conducted swiftly, reflecting on-site conditions. We will support smooth clinical trials within residential treatment centers and strengthen support for the development of domestic treatments.”