Clinical trials with patient participation in Spain HM Clinic

TiffanyUrirm

The Research Foundation of the NM Group of Clinics promotes a non-profit and transparent approach to clinical trials to present accurate and reliable data to patients and their families

• Neurological treatment of motility disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease with high-intensity focused ultrasound and vaccination against meningitis were the most promising clinical trials in 2017

• Participation in research platforms and collaboration with other clinics provided an opportunity for patients of medical centers that are not part of the group of NM clinics to use the developments of our specialists

Madrid, 31 January 2018. The Research Foundation of the NM Group of Clinics (NM Foundation) summed up its activities for 2017, during which there was a qualitative and quantitative growth in indicators, since during this period it was possible to almost double the number of clinical trials and patients who participate in them. In terms of numbers, there were 223 clinical trials with 982 patients, while in 2016, 118 clinical trials were attended by 542 patients.

Oncology and pediatrics turned out to be priority therapeutic areas, both in terms of the number of clinical trials and the number of participants, and at the same time, a significant increase in the number of studies in cardiology was noted thanks to the Integrated Center for Cardiovascular Diseases of the NM group of clinics. In addition, I would like to highlight such areas as neurobiology, robotic surgery or complex data analysis and calculation of the cost of medical services.

Dr. Cristobal Belda, Director of the NM Foundation, noted that “the main reason for the growth in the number of patients and clinical trials is the awareness of patients and their families. We, unlike other medical centers, speak the whole truth about the mechanisms for conducting clinical trials and guarantee the openness of all data about the clinical trial or product being conducted. "

The second important evidence of the significant growth in clinical research conducted by the NM Foundation is the non-profit approach and openness of data in clinical research. “Patients and their families often express their gratitude to us for the transparency in the organization of clinical trials, as they often face situations when a drug undergoing clinical trials is offered to them as an already certified drug. Research should be transparent and non-profit, ”says Dr. Belda.

Child vaccination and neurobiology
If earlier cancer immunotherapy using a combined regimen using anti-PD1 and anti-PD-L1, developed by Dr. Emiliano Calvo, was the most promising clinical study, then in 2017, among all ongoing clinical trials, the NM Foundation decided to give priority to clinical trials of a vaccine against meningitis and the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound for therapeutic purposes for treating motor disorders caused by Parkinson's disease. “This year, a significant number of patients have participated in clinical trials of a known vaccine against meningitis, and in most cases, high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment has eliminated a number of symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. In this regard, although our oncologists continue to lead the world in the development of new drugs, we are also proud of the opportunity to vaccinate many of our children, as well as the results obtained by the Comprehensive Center for Neuroscience AC HM CINAC. thanks to which the lives of many people will change for the better, ”said Dr. Belda.

One of the top priorities associated with the growth of research is to accompany almost a thousand patients of the group of NM clinics, who provide their services, both to the local population and to patients from other countries. For this reason, the introduction of automated control systems, equipment diversification, teamwork and professionalism of coordinators, system administrators and nurses in the process of research work were of the highest priority for managing this volume of work.

Another important factor turned out to be cooperation with research groups, foundations and hospitals, which allowed patients of medical centers that are not part of the NM clinic group to use the developments of the specialists of NM clinics. “In addition, we collaborated with other medical centers, which, due to their limited capabilities, used our resources to achieve their scientific goals. And we are proud that such cooperation has made it possible for specialists from other centers to also help their patients. "

Participation in international platforms
In this regard, thanks to the participation of the NM Group of Clinics and the NM Foundation in international platforms to exchange data on the results obtained, “we became the first medical center fully integrated on the Insite platform. On the other hand, our pediatricians have become members of the Spanish Clinical Research Group for Children (RECLIP), ”said Dr. Belda.

The participation of the NM Foundation in national and international associations makes it possible to use our developments for the benefit of patients of other medical centers. “Thus, the commitment of NM clinics and the NM Foundation to transparency of information is of paramount importance when you let other people into your home, provide them with access to information and allow these people, in the manner prescribed by law, to use this data for the benefit of your patients and their families. These procedures are quite difficult to implement, we have been working on them for over 2 years, and we only implemented them a few months ago, ”says Dr. Belda.

This practice once again confirms the fact that the group of NM clinics in their clinical trials has relied on transparency, altruism and mutual responsibility, which, in turn, is reflected in the stability of the work performed. “This year, we will continue to integrate our systems into the platforms of other organizations so that the structured data we provide, obtained from the results of research using our facilities, can be used for the benefit of other people and patients,” he said.

In this way, the ultimate goal of the NM Foundation can be achieved, which is “to provide assistance to the patient and his family in the form of the latest and safest treatment methods. This requires clinical research and absolute honesty in the relationship between healthcare providers and patients. Anything beyond this honesty is a complete lie. And we scientists have a responsibility to fight this lie, ”said Dr. Belda.

HM Clinic Group Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of the NM Clinics Group is a non-profit organization created in 2003 to promote applied biomedical research and innovation, for the benefit of the patient in particular and society in general, both in the treatment of diseases and in the field of health care, thanks to the gradual implementation personalized medicine.

In addition, the foundation aims to improve the quality of healthcare services by making a commitment to the community in educational programs and the promotion of applied research to ensure that research and innovation are immediately used for the benefit of patients.

Since its inception, the Foundation has promoted, funded and curated research in which doctors and researchers try to solve the problems that arise in the daily care process for the benefit of patients, thereby contributing to the introduction of personalized medicine.

In addition, the Foundation implements, in addition to various social and medical projects, social initiatives to popularize scientific research and foster a conscious attitude towards one's health, organizing various scientific forums and publishing monographs.