Home / The Regulation of Clinical Trials in New Zealand
New Zealand Clinical Research (NZCR) undertakes clinical trials in NZ for many medical and pharmaceutical groups around the world. If a potential new drug shows promise and meets specific safety criteria in laboratory testing, then it may progress to clinical trials that require testing the treatment on people. This must be done under strict regulatory controls to ensure the medical trial is conducted safely, ethically, and with scientific rigour.
In New Zealand, all clinical studies go through a meticulous ethical and regulatory review before they can commence. They are regulated by the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) which is responsible for scrutinising the scientific aspects of the study and the Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDEC) which is responsible for determining if the study meets required ethical standards. Both HDEC approval and Medsafe approval are required before a treatment can be trialed at NZCR.
In addition to Medsafe and HDEC, the Ministry of Health also plays a role in regulating clinical trials in New Zealand. The Ministry of Health sets standards for clinical trial conduct and provides guidance on the ethical, scientific, and regulatory requirements for clinical trials.
The Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDEC) in New Zealand is responsible for reviewing and approving the ethical aspects of clinical trial applications. The ethics committees aim to protect participants by ensuring that the research meets established ethical standards. Each committee is comprised of at least 5 members, of whom at least two must be lay members and at least two non-lay members (usually doctors).
They do this by:
to ensure that the trial is scientifically sound, that the potential benefits outweigh the risks, and that participants will be treated with respect and dignity.
to ensure the trial meets advertising guidelines for clinical research. This is to help prevent potential participants from being confused, misled or unduly influenced by advertising material.
to ensure participants are fully informed about the trial and that they provide informed consent before participating. This includes providing information about the nature of the trial, its potential risks and benefits and the participant’s right to withdraw from the trial at any time.
to ensure that the clinical trial is conducted in accordance with ethical principles and guidelines. This includes ensuring that participants are treated fairly, privacy protected, and their safety and well-being are monitored.
to ensure the clinical trials continue to meet ethical standards. This includes monitoring any changes to the trial protocol or the risks and benefits to participants.
Overall, HDEC plays a critical role in ensuring that clinical trials in New Zealand meet ethical standards. HDEC ensures that participants are treated with respect and dignity, that their safety and well-being are protected, and that the results of the trials are scientifically rigorous and reliable.
Medsafe is the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority and is the Ministry of Health authority responsible for the regulation of therapeutic products in New Zealand.
Medsafe is responsible for evaluating and approving clinical trial applications in New Zealand, with a particular focus on the scientific aspects of the study. Medsafe assesses trials against internationally established criteria, such as guidelines published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA – a US Authority). The assessment of a medicine application is based on information supplied to Medsafe.
To ensure the scientific aspects of the study are maintained, Medsafe undertakes several activities, including:
to ensure that it is scientifically sound and that the trial will provide reliable and meaningful results. This includes ensuring that the trial design is appropriate for the research question, that the sample size is adequate, and that the statistical methods used are appropriate.
to ensure the trial protocol and that the scientific integrity of the study is maintained. This includes monitoring the recruitment of participants, the collection of data, and the analysis of results.
to ensure that the results are scientifically valid and reliable. This includes reviewing the statistical analysis, the interpretation of results, and the conclusions drawn from the study.
This is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording, and reporting clinical trials involving human subjects.
Overall, Medsafe’s role in ensuring the scientific aspects of a clinical trial are maintained is critical to the reliability and validity of the study results. Medsafe ensures that clinical trials are designed and conducted to a high scientific standard, and that the results of the trials are meaningful and reliable.
Overall, the regulatory framework for clinical trials in New Zealand is designed to ensure that trials are conducted ethically, that the safety and well-being of participants are protected, and that the results of the trials are scientifically rigorous and reliable. As a result, clinical trials in New Zealand meet, and indeed frequently surpass, international ethical and scientific standards.
