Association tallies impact of clinical trials in NY

SYRACUSE — Clinical trials at institutions including Upstate Medical Center, Joslin Center for Diabetes Research, and Syracuse Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, all located in Syracuse, contributed to New York being responsible for approximately one-third of all new clinical trials of new medicines in the United States over the last decade, according to a new accounting of biopharmaceutical research.

National biopharmaceutical firms and New York medical schools, hospitals, and research centers collaborated on more than 6,200 clinical trials during the decade including work on arthritis, cancer, mental illness, and diabetes. More than 1,230 clinical trials are currently ongoing in New York.

“Because of its core of leading bio-pharm companies and top-flight research institutions, New York state plays a critical role in the testing of new medicines,” Nathan Tinker, executive director of the New York Biotechnology Association, said in a news release. “The health-care benefits and economic impact of this research is extraordinary and growing. Nowhere is this more evident than in Central New York.”

Kaelan Hollon, director of communications for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, said drug development and testing provides a big economic boost to the state and employment in the biopharma sector exceeds 200,000 people in New York.

Other Upstate research institutions conducting trials include the University of Buffalo, University of Rochester-Strong Memorial Hospital, Albany Medical Center, and Guthrie Cancer Center in Corning.

More information about ongoing clinical trials in New York is available online at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Contact DeLore at tdelore@cnybj.com