Tampa’s Moffitt Cancer Center is forging an international partnership with Japan’s largest CRO, CMIC, to improve the ability of both organizations to run global cancer trials.
Under the deal, Moffitt will serve as the go-to U.S. site for CMIC’s trials, while CMIC will help manage Moffitt’s trials in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific region, the companies said in a Sept. 17 release.
“This partnership allows us to significantly expand the portfolio of cutting-edge clinical trials available to our patients while providing easy and rapid access for CMIC customers who need a U.S. site for clinical trials,” Moffitt’s chief business officer, Xavier Avat, said in the release.
The goal of the partnership is to accelerate cross-border clinical trials for new therapies and increase the diversity of trial participants, according to the release.
Moffitt, a research and treatment facility, is designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The center was hit by scandal in 2020 when former CEO Alan List, M.D., departed over concerns about Chinese influence in research. List was replaced by tumor immunologist Patrick Hwu, M.D.
CMIC is Japan’s first and largest CRO, the company said in the release, with operations in 12 countries including Australia, China, South Korea and Taiwan. The firm made another U.S. partnership around this time last year, inking a deal with Rutgers University to build a pharmaceutical production facility in New Jersey.