Fifteen qualified Chinese hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are participating in a worldwide clinical trial for hepatitis B treatment, together with scientific research centers in the United States and Canada.
Professor Luo Kangxian from Nanfang Hospital in Guangzhou pointed out that the trials are administrated under the International Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards in order to meet worldwide scientific standards, including those of the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Swiss regulatory body IKS, has granted Roche to market its breakthrough drug -- Pegasys, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, which provides new hope of a cure for more than 170 million people infected with the virus worldwide, of which approximately 13 million reside in China.
"As the number one recruitment country, the success of this three-phases trial for hepatitis B relies heavily on China due to the high prevalence of the disease in this part of the world," said Dr. Gunther Foster, a medical expert from Switzerland.
China reportedly faces a serious epidemic of hepatitis. Some 120 million Chinese carry the HB virus, one-tenth of whom are patients.
China allocates between 30-50 billion yuan (US$3.6-6 billion) annually for treatment of various types of hepatitis.
(Eastday.com 08/09/2001)
