The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it would work with AstraZeneca and other government, academic and industry partners to streamline regulatory approvals and explore a one-stop-shop model for clinical research projects.
The initiative was discussed during Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque’s recent visit to AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre in Cambridge, United Kingdom, the pharmaceutical company’s global headquarters and research and development hub.
Roque met with AstraZeneca Philippines country president Lotis Ramin and policy and advocacy lead Peter Olivar to discuss expanding Philippine participation in global clinical trials and improving regulatory pathways.
Clinical trials
AstraZeneca currently supports more than 28 ongoing and planned clinical trials in the Philippines. More than 1,000 Filipino patients have been enrolled since 2022 across a network of over 150 trial sites nationwide.
The pharmaceutical company has invested more than P3 billion in Philippine clinical trials over the past six years and plans further investments in the country’s health ecosystem.
These will include continuing medical education, diagnostics, digital health solutions and patient-focused innovation in oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases.
“Expanding clinical trials and research is not just about medicines. It is about creating high-value jobs for our doctors, nurses, researchers, and health professionals, so more Filipinos can build globally competitive careers here at home,” Roque said.
DTI is positioning clinical research and health information management as potential growth industries, drawing parallels with the development of the country’s information technology and business process management sector.
“Just as we built the IT-BPM industry from call centers into a globally competitive knowledge-services sector, we see clinical research and health information management as the Philippines’ next growth industry. AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre model is exactly the kind of investment we want to attract,” Roque said.
Manila center
AstraZeneca is working with De La Salle University (DLSU), the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to establish a Clinical Trial Centre of Excellence in Manila within 2026.
The facility, to be developed through the DLSU Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Zone, will be the first of three planned pillars of a broader health ecosystem. The other two are a Cancer Command Centre and a Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Centre.
In August 2025, PEZA and AstraZeneca signed a memorandum of understanding for a proposed Multi-Stakeholder Health Innovation Hub within the PEZA ecozone network.
Its flagship Oncology Innovation Center is envisioned to use artificial intelligence for early lung cancer detection, expand patient-support systems, strengthen healthcare workforce capabilities and support evidence-based policymaking.
Faster approvals
Roque said the DTI would coordinate with AstraZeneca, PEZA, DOST, DLSU and the Department of Health to streamline approvals and explore a one-stop-shop approach for the initiatives.
“The Philippines has the talent, digital capabilities, and healthcare expertise to become a regional centre for clinical research and health innovation,” she said.
Roque said closer cooperation among government, academe and industry could help develop a life sciences ecosystem that generates skilled jobs while expanding Filipinos’ access to healthcare innovation. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
