Key Findings on CRO Industry

Over at FierceBiotech they've recently summarized some key findings from the Top 10 Contract Research Organizations, which is a report published by Business Insights that examines the competitive landscape of the global CRO industry. Here are some of the issues they've uncovered:

• The CRO market will grow at an annual rate of about 14% over the course of the next 3 years.
• Quintiles leads the CRO market this past year, but the 10 major CROs accounts for 56.1% of the market. There are over 1,100 players in the industry.
• In an attempt to expand services and offerings, it has led to increased alliances, joint-ventures, and other partnership deals.
• Covance is the 2nd largest CRO only trailing Quintiles
• Biomarkers will become an important part of clinical research after the FDA has recommended their usage
  

Quintiles opens up Phase I Unit in India

Quintiles will be opening up a the first Phase I unit in India. In conjunction with India's largest hospital group, the Apollo Hospital Group.

Eddie Caffrey, Quintiles’ senior vice president, global phase I, had this to say about the new project:

“They really are very forward thinking. They are very involved in technology, they’re very involved in IT, telemedicine and things like that. We began negotiations and discussions with them, and it was agreed that it would be the ideal opportunity for a joint venture.”

For more on the Phase I Trial, read here.

Quintiles partners with India’s Apollo Hospitals Group in Opening a Phase I Clinical Trials Unit

According to this article in outsourcing-pharma.com the CRO Quintiles has collaborated with India’s Apollo Hospitals Group in order to increase its presence in the fast-growing Indian clinical research market. The new unit is being built will have a capacity of 50 beds, which will increase to 100 if demand is developed. Eddie Caffrey , Quintiles’ senior vice president, mentions:

“This new Phase I unit will draw on the existing experience of Quintiles staff in India, including our established cardiology group.”

Quintiles will become largest Asia-Pacific clinical development center

In 2009, Quintiles will relocate to a facility that is 80,000 square feet, which will double its size. The facility will open in Singapore, where since 1995, they have done more than 1,000 studies. Clinical Trials Today has the in depth story.

Anand Tharmaratnam, M.D., head of clinical development for Quintiles Asia Pacific, had this to say about the expansion:

“Firstly, a significant proportion of our customers are in Singapore and all of them are within a seven-hour direct flight from Singapore. Singapore is also connected by direct flights to a lot of our U.S. and European offices. Secondly, we are able to hire talent with multinational company experience in Singapore, and we are able to attract foreign talent to relocate to Singapore who find it a stable, secure and welcoming environment to live in as a foreigner. Thirdly, it is an attractive place from which to manage a business with very high ethical and transparent governance standards with an effective tax structure. Fourth, it is increasingly becoming a global hub for scientific excellence and innovation.”