Philippines eyes role as Asia’s clinical research hub
Inquirer.net
06 October 2026
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is seeking to position itself as Asia’s next clinical research hub, with a new center of excellence targeted to open in Manila within the year through a partnership with British Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
The planned Clinical Trial Centre of Excellence is being developed by AstraZeneca with De La Salle University (DLSU), the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).
t will be established within the DLSU Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology Zone and serve as the first of three planned pillars of a broader health ecosystem, alongside a Cancer Command Centre and a Cardio-Renal-Metabolic Centre.
The Department of Trade and Industry said it would work with AstraZeneca and other government and academic partners to streamline regulatory approvals and explore a one-stop-shop model to support clinical research.
Currently, AstraZeneca supports more than 28 ongoing and planned clinical trials across over 150 sites nationwide, involving more than 1,000 Filipino patients enrolled since 2022.
AstraZeneca has invested more than P3 billion in Philippine clinical trials over the past six years, covering research in areas including oncology, respiratory and immunology, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases.
The company has also partnered with AC Health and its Healthway Medical Network to expand clinical trial capabilities to more hospitals, including facilities outside traditional research centers.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said expanding the industry could create higher-value employment for doctors, nurses, researchers and other health professionals while giving more patients access to clinical research.
“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,” Roque said.
Separately, AstraZeneca and Peza are developing a proposed Multi-Stakeholder Health Innovation Hub within the economic zone network following an agreement signed in August 2025.
Its flagship Oncology Innovation Center is envisioned to use artificial intelligence for early lung cancer detection while expanding patient-support systems and strengthening health-care workforce capabilities.
The initiatives were discussed during Roque’s visit to AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre in Cambridge, United Kingdom. INQ
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