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.

Clincal Trials in India

The Indian government recently has given the okay for phase I human clinical trials to be performed in India. This has led many to expect that the Contract Research Organization Industry, in India, will grow from being worth $200 million in 2007 to an estimated $600 million by 2010. There is one thing that could be preventing this estimate from coming true as remarked upon in this article. As Dr. S M Sapatnekar, dean and director of CREMA stated:

“The technology is constantly growing, and India is fast becoming a new hub for trials due to large patient population and strict compliance with the guidelines. However there is a serious dearth of researchers”

As an Ernst and Young report pointed out, 1000 students each year pass as researchers in India, however, by 2010 to keep up with demand, they will need 15,000 clinical researchers.