University of Szeged, AbbVie Ltd. Sign Research Contract

The University of Szeged (SZTE), in SE Hungary, signed a three-year contract on clinical research with the local unit of US-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie the university says in a statement on its website.

The agreement was signed by Javier Aracil Corma, AbbVie’s Managing Director for the Adriatic region and Hungary, on behalf of AbbVie, and by Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor, and Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector, on behalf of the University of Szeged. The goal of the partnership agreement is to further develop strategically important clinical research related to innovative therapies and, in the long term, to strengthen the competitiveness of Hungary and the region.

Chancellor Judit Fendler said the long-term cooperation the university seeks with local drug makers benefits patients, who gain faster access to innovative treatments, and students eager to work with multinational industry players.

Javier Aracil, AbbVie's general manager for the Adriatics and Hungary, said the company has 60 clinical trials underway in Hungary at present, including 40 at the University of Szeged.

The statement explains that in recent years, European clinical trials have been on a downward trend, primarily due to stricter regulations and increasing cost-effectiveness requirements, which have resulted in patients gaining access to new drugs and therapies later.

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focusing their research capacities on the Asian and American regions, which intensifies competition in the Central and Eastern European region. In this situation, collaborations that contribute to strengthening Hungary’s position in the international clinical research market are of paramount importance.

AbbVie is currently conducting 60 active clinical trials in Hungary in the fields of immunology, oncology, neurology, and ophthalmology; 40 of these are being carried out in collaboration with the University of Szeged, making the University one of AbbVie’s two most significant research partners in Hungary.