Israel Approves National Plan to Expand Research and Clinical Trials

Israel’s government approved a Health Ministry plan on October 18 to expand research and clinical trials across the country. The reform calls for simpler administrative procedures, decentralized authority and mutual recognition of approvals among hospitals’ Helsinki committees to reduce duplicate reviews. It also provides for faster digital submission of applications. The ministry says these changes are intended to shorten approval waits, expand research activity and give Israeli patients earlier access to advanced medical technologies. Attracting investment from multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies is another stated goal.