October 2026 – Momentum Clinical Research, Australasia’s largest integrated clinical trial site network, has launched a Cardiometabolic Taskforce. The taskforce brings together investigators and site leaders from Australia and New Zealand to help sponsors deliver obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular studies faster and more reliably.
The taskforce is led by Dr King Cheung, a Melbourne-based Principal Investigator who has worked on 132 studies, including 32 cardiometabolic and 24 obesity and incretin trials. Members will join sponsor calls, feasibility reviews and bid defences directly, so sponsors hear from the clinicians who will deliver their study.
The launch comes as cardiometabolic research enters one of its most active periods. More than 190 obesity assets are in development, and new hypertension mechanisms are reaching the clinic for the first time in over 30 years. Large outcomes trials need sites that can recruit diverse, high-risk participants at scale.
“Cardiometabolic disease touches almost every patient I see, and the science is moving faster than ever,” said Dr King Cheung, Taskforce Lead. “Sponsors need sites that understand these protocols and can recruit the right patients. This taskforce puts experienced investigators in the room from day one, so feasibility is grounded in what our sites can really deliver.”
Momentum CEO Josh Stent said the taskforce reflects the network’s commitment to cardiometabolic research. “Since Pacific Clinical Research Network joined Momentum, we have one network and one management system across both countries,” he said. “The taskforce lets us turn that scale into a clear offer for sponsors: specialist investigators, diverse patient populations and fast study start-up across Australia and New Zealand.”
The founding members of the taskforce are:
Dr King Cheung, MD (Taskforce Lead): Principal Investigator, Momentum Clinical Research, Melbourne. Investigator on five studies in Lilly’s TRIUMPH programme, with obesity and incretin trial experience for Lilly, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Pfizer, Roche and AbbVie.
Dr Rakesh Iyer, FRACP: Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Canberra, with specialist expertise in type 1 and type 2 diabetes and endocrinology.
Nina Linton, RN: Research Area Manager, New Zealand, leading site operations and study delivery across the New Zealand network.
Australia and New Zealand offer sponsors clear advantages for cardiometabolic trials. Around two in three Australian adults live with overweight or obesity, and New Zealand’s Māori and Pacific populations have some of the highest obesity rates in the world. Newer obesity medicines are not publicly funded in either country, leaving large treatment-naïve populations. Fast start-up through Australia’s CTN scheme and New Zealand’s HDEC and SCOTT review, combined with Australia’s R&D Tax Incentive, make the region an efficient place to run early and late-phase studies.
New Zealand’s diverse population also supports US sponsors planning for FDA diversity requirements. In the 2023 Census, 17.8% of New Zealanders identified as Māori, 8.9% as Pacific and 17.3% as Asian.
The taskforce will focus first on obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular studies. Sponsors and CROs can request a cardiometabolic feasibility review by contacting [contact details].
