At Heart of Australia, health equity is vital to our vision of Australian communities who are healthy and resilient, no matter where they live. For many country Australians, accessing innovative life-changing treatment can be challenging due to the hundreds of kilometres required to travel, having to leave their family and work behind, a lack of local resources, and cultural barriers.
This extends to all aspects of healthcare, including the clinical trials space. In fact, a study published in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communication found that these communities have significantly less clinical trial access, with 1.2% rural patients enrolling in clinical trials in comparison to 6.7% of their metropolitan counterparts registering in big cities like Melbourne.
Heart of Australia is addressing the rural divide in access to clinical trials through the Heart of Australia Research Institute (HARI). Launched in 2024, HARI is breaking down these barriers by bringing current clinical trials to the doorsteps of country communities. In doing so, we are ensuring all Australians, regardless of the town they live in, can contribute to and benefit from medical breakthroughs and treatments not yet available to the general public.
The program has expanded quickly, and we are thrilled to announce Novo Nordisk as the first Alliance Member for HARI. Their support is essential in HARI’s mission to pioneer and expand access to ground-breaking medicines that will save lives and enhance well-being in rural and remote Australian communities. This partnership will open up doors for eligible rural patients looking to access the treatments of tomorrow and empower rural healthcare professionals looking to contribute to clinical studies that stand out from the rest.
Heart of Australia will adopt a decentralised clinical trial approach with the support of Novo Nordisk. Its infrastructure will consider Australia’s vast distances at every step to create equitable access for country Australians without patients having to relocate to major cities.
With two clinical trials already underway in rural Queensland, HARI is proving what’s possible when research meets the road. The first rural-focused trial for people with heart failure and inflammation is already well underway, and the second half of this year will see HARI investigating treatments to cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure.
If you would like to learn more about the work that HARI is doing, please visit https://heartofaustralia.com.au/clinical-trials/.
