National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) and AbbVie Biopharmaceuticals GmbH Taiwan Branch (AbbVie) have signed a cooperation agreement, with the agreement jointly signed by President Ming-Shiang Wu of NTUH and General Manager Richard Sun of AbbVie.

The parties will expand their research and development collaboration, strengthen the digital strategy for clinical trials, and leverage new forms of clinical trial research models to accelerate the speed and quality of trial approvals. This collaboration will promote prospective clinical trial research, offer new hope for patient treatments, and work together to enhance the quality and international competitiveness of clinical trials.

Since 2013, NTUH and AbbVie have maintained a strong and collaborative partnership. To date, they have jointly conducted 72 clinical trial cases, achieving a 45% growth in both the number of cases and acceptance rate. Over the past decade, their combined efforts have been dedicated to advancing patient health, setting numerous significant milestones. For example, in 2023, Dr Wu Jia-Feng's pediatric hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal team successfully established two global milestones by launching the world's first trial site. In 2024, the hematology and oncology team, led by Dr Cheng Ann-Lii, Dr Huang Tai-Chung, and Dr Huang Shang-Yi, reached the milestone of launching the first trial site outside the United States and the Asia-Pacific region on four occasions. In 2024, the Taiwan research team's clinical trial launch speed proves to be the fastest in the Asia-Pacific region, among Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, showcasing Taiwan's exceptional performance in clinical trial  execution.

In response to the global trend towards the digitalization of clinical trials, AbbVie has also been actively advancing the digitalization of clinical trials in recent years. Over the past five years, approximately 33% and 21% of AbbVie’s clinical trials in Taiwan have incorporated digital data collection and wearable device designs. These approaches not only reduce the need for participants to travel to trial sites but also make the execution of clinical trials more flexible and efficient.