Susan Marlin
Nominated Principal Applicant, CanReview and President & CEO, Clinical Trials Ontario
As clinical trials become more complex and globally competitive, adopting a country-wide single ethics review system helps to ensure Canadian research keeps moving forward.
Clinical trials are an integral part of life sciences development in Canada. However, getting clinical trials started can be costly and time-consuming, especially when they are conducted at multiple sites across the country. A key barrier is Canada’s fragmented ethics review framework. Typically, a clinical trial requires approval by the research ethics board (REB) at every location where the trial is being conducted, creating unnecessary duplication that can slow trials down.
The UK, Australia, and other leading countries have been using systems like this for years. If we don’t move quickly, we risk losing our ranking as a top G7 nation for clinical trials activity. As a result, many clinical trials—and the benefits they bring—will move elsewhere.
CanReview is a pan-Canadian collaboration, supported by the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium, that aims to ease this barrier. CanReview brings together Canada’s high-quality REBs and leverages an easy-to-use online platform that enables researchers to apply for a single Canada-wide ethics review. “Rather than repeating ethics reviews across Canada, CanReview allows researchers to submit one application through one system for one high-quality review that covers all participating sites – a major efficiency gain,” says Susan Marlin, Nominated Principal Applicant, CanReview and President & CEO, Clinical Trials Ontario.
Canada risks falling behind if we don’t act
With over 120 partners supporting the system, and trial sites signing up across Canada, CanReview has already made meaningful strides towards strengthening Canadian clinical trials. But to fully benefit, Marlin says we need continued adoption and full national uptake. “The UK, Australia, and other leading countries have been using systems like this for years. If we don’t move quickly, we risk losing our ranking as a top G7 nation for clinical trials activity. As a result, many clinical trials—and the benefits they bring—will move elsewhere,” says Marlin.
Everybody wins with more efficient trials
Moving to a national research ethics review system brings many benefits. “Eliminating red tape and enhancing efficiencies gives researchers more time to lead critical research and connect with participants,” says Marlin. Easing system capacity burdens allows for clinical trials to expand to underserved, rural, and remote locations, so more patients can benefit from medical advances. Embracing a “one trial, one review” approach also helps to bring economic opportunities to Canada. “Canadian researchers are making discoveries all the time. We want those therapies to be manufactured here to grow our life sciences economy and secure an affordable supply of treatment in the long run,” says Marlin. “This can only happen if we create a strong clinical trial ecosystem and remove unnecessary barriers.”
With world-class researchers, administrators, ethics boards, and institutions, as well as a highly diverse pool of potential trial participants and industry partners, Canada has the potential to be a leading clinical trials jurisdiction. “Now is the time to collaborate across the country and adopt a single research ethics review system so we can keep trials moving,” says Marlin.
Learn more and get started at www.canreview.ca.