What is FINPEDMED?
FINPEDMED, Finnish Investigators Network for Paediatric Medicines, was established at the beginning of 2007 in joint collaboration with Finland's five university hospitals and their paediatric clinics.
The network operates on a non-profit basis and aims to improve both academic and sponsored paediatric clinical trials for the benefit of children's health. The network facilitates the recruitment of experts and investigators to work as specialists in trials supported by industry or other funding. The goal is to create a self-sufficient model in which the funding for basic operations is based on growing sales as research increases. FINPEDMED is not is not a juridical party i.e. agreements cannot be signed on its behalf. Agreements are signed by sponsors and research organizations or investigators. Moreover, the network does not process, deal with nor compete with trial funding. The administration of trial funding is processed at research organizations and hospitals or hospital districts.
FINPEDMED aims to make paediatric clinical trials easier, faster and more effective as well as to improve the opportunities for clinical trials in Finland by gathering together experts in the field of paediatric medicines. The network operates through a central office and it also aims to harmonise and unify research protocol and operations models as well as to find solutions to shorten the time it takes to begin trials. Not only does the network seek to improve and develop the quality and quality standards of academic research at a national level, but it also aims to centralise services offered to investigators.
FINPEDMED wants to establish itself as a nationally and internationally reliable and state-of-the-art paediatric trial unit and increase co-operation and influence in the EU. FINPEDMED is a member of the European Network of Paediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency, Enpr-EMA. Enpr-EMA was established by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2010. This network will comprise of both national and European networks as well as investigators and research units that have special expertise in paediatric clinical trials. The EnprEMA membership is assesed and updated annually by filling the self-assessment report. The self-assessment of FINPEDMED 2011.
