Dong-A University Hospital in Busan Regional Clinical Trial Center, Korea

New Horizons in Clinical Research

The 2016 REACTA Forum was held on November 4-5, 2016, in Busan, South Korea, with the theme "New Horizons in Clinical Research." The forum was organized by the Excellence in Clinical Trials Center of Dong-A University Hospital, affiliated with Dong-A University, and took place at the Respiratory Therapy Center of Busan National University Hospital. The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) was represented by Gabriel Hsu, Executive Director of the Joint Clinical Trials Center, and Project Manager Ms. Yang Biching.

The Regional Asian Clinical Trial Association (REACTA) was founded in 2013 by NTUH and excellence clinical research centers from three other Asian countries. The 2016 REACTA Forum invited representatives from core member countries and clinical trial regulatory authorities to participate. Taiwan was represented by NTUH's Joint Clinical Trials Center, along with clinical research centers from Chiba University Hospital Clinical Research Center in Japan, Clinical Research Malaysia from Malaysia's Ministry of Health, and Dong-A University Hospital's Global Clinical Trial Center in South Korea, with nearly 100 participants attending.

The conference agenda was divided into four parts: the latest regulatory trends; changes, challenges, and opportunities in clinical trials development in Asia; institutional management and early-phase clinical trials; group discussions and project proposals. NTUH’s Executive Director, Gabriel Hsu, was invited to share the experience of Taiwan’s Clinical Trials Center, with a presentation titled "The Current Status and Future of Joint Clinical Research Centers in Taiwan—A Case Study of NTU" ("Profile and Future of a Joint Clinical Research Center in Taiwan"). Additionally, Dr. Chen Hsiao-chun, Section Chief of the New Drug Department at Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), was invited to give a talk titled "Update on Investigated New Drug Applications in Taiwan," focusing on regulatory and system management perspectives. South Korea was represented by the head of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), who gave an overview of the development of clinical trials and relevant regulations in Korea.

On the second day, the REACTA core members held a business meeting, where several key decisions were made:

• The signing of a cooperation agreement among the core member countries.
• A vote confirming that Malaysia's Clinical Research Center will host the 2017 REACTA Forum, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur in early August 2017.
• The election of Professor Hideki Hanaoka, Director of Chiba University Hospital's Clinical Research Center, as the REACTA Executive Committee Chair, responsible for registering REACTA as an official international organization. Mr. Anthony V.A. Nguyen, Head of the Business Planning Group at Dong-A University Hospital, was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the REACTA Executive Committee, responsible for communication between member countries.
• Malaysia and Taiwan will jointly conduct a clinical trial on palm oil-based plant medicines, proposed by Malaysia. NTUH has already signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) in preparation for this bilateral multinational clinical research project (IIT).

Due to the differences in physical characteristics between Asian and Western populations, responses to the same drugs and treatments can vary, as confirmed by numerous multinational clinical trials. The establishment of REACTA aims to unite clinical trial institutions and researchers across Asia to identify the unique clinical drug characteristics and responses of Asian populations, in contrast to clinical trial results conducted primarily with Western participants. This year’s forum not only confirmed the organizational structure and member responsibilities of the Executive Committee but also solidified the direction for substantial cooperation. Moving forward, REACTA will focus on attracting more countries and clinical trial centers from the Asia-Pacific region to create a knowledge-sharing platform, exchange experiences, and conduct more multinational clinical trials in Asia, further contributing to the development of clinical research in the region.