Capitalizing on Centralization

"Unfortunately for the Hungarian population, but fortunately for the pharmaceutical industry, Hungary has high prevalence rates of certain diseases," says Dr. Kata Mazalin, chief medical officer and country general manager of Vienna-headquartered contract research organization (CRO) Assign Group, who sees the unhealthy Hungarian lifestyle—compared to EU averages—as a key area of improvement. For its unhealthy lifestyles, such as high tobacco and alcohol consumption, unhealthy nutrition, and a lack of physical activity, the WHO has already sent out several warnings. "Hungary," continues Mazalin, "is often a leading country in terms of the number of patients affected by very serious diseases in areas such as oncology and cardiovascular." While these poor health rates indicate that a lot of work remains to be done, these high prevalence rates in combination with a pool of highly skilled medical professionals and a population of nearly 10 million Hungarians, favor Hungary's attractiveness as a base for clinical trials. "Moreover, Hungary has a centralized healthcare system, which means that for oncology, for instance, we have big centers where we can conduct clinical studies with easy access to patients," informs Mazalin additionally.

Kata Mazalin, General Manager Hungary of Assign Group