Dr. Gavin Stuart: Patients in this province should have opportunities to access innovative therapies closer to home. Families shouldn’t have to assume that leading-edge care is only available elsewhere in Canada or outside the country
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For many patients, the future of health care begins with a question: What opportunities are available to me?
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That question may come after a diagnosis, when a standard therapy hasn’t worked as hoped, or when a patient and their care team are searching for a treatment that may be more precise or better suited to their condition. Increasingly, one of the most important ways medicine answers that question is through clinical trials.
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As demand grows for access to innovative therapies, B.C. has both a responsibility and a strategic imperative to strengthen the clinical trials infrastructure that allows patients to access emerging treatments closer to home.
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Global competition for clinical trials, research talent and life sciences investment is increasing rapidly. Jurisdictions that can’t support integrated, efficient and high-quality clinical research environments risk falling behind, limiting both patient access and opportunities to help shape the therapies that may define the future of care.
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Clinical trials are sometimes misunderstood as research that happens apart from care or as experimentation pursued only when other options have failed. In reality, clinical trials are one of the ways health care improves for everyone. They help determine whether new therapies are safe, effective and appropriate for patients. They also create opportunities for patients to access emerging therapies while helping improve future care for others.
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Put simply, care is research and research is care.
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That idea matters for B.C. Patients in this province should have opportunities to access innovative therapies closer to home, supported by the clinicians and health teams who understand their needs. Families shouldn’t have to assume that leading-edge care is only available elsewhere in Canada or outside the country.
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B.C. is well-positioned to contribute. A patient in Smithers exploring an ovarian cancer clinical trial should feel connected to a provincial research system where access to innovation and specialized care isn’t assumed to exist only elsewhere. Across B.C., there is deep clinical and research expertise, and a growing momentum to build a more integrated clinical trials environment that benefits patients, health teams, industry partners and the broader life sciences sector.
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Clinical trials span a wide spectrum. Later-stage trials may involve therapies that are already better understood and can often be delivered in outpatient or community settings. Early phase trials are different. These are often the first studies of a therapy in people or the first studies in a particular patient population. They require close monitoring, specialized teams, lab and imaging support, ethics oversight and the ability to respond quickly if a patient’s condition changes.
