[ General News ]
ICRI Hosted International Conference on
Trends in Clinical Research
T
he Institute of Clinical Research (India) (ICRI), India’s premiere institution in clinical research studies, in
sponsorship with the Indian Council for Medical Research, held a 2-day international conference on “Global
Trends in Clinical Research: India 2008” on March 14–15, 2008.
The conference served as an international and neutral forum to address current scientific research in India
pertaining to the global development of drugs and biologics. Besides discussing the global trends in clinical research,
the conference focused on real-world issues facing clinical research in India and looked to develop a consensus on
how India should move forward to ensure efficient, accurate, auditable, and ethical clinical research data.
Leaders and experts across
the pharmaceutical, academia, and
regulatory agencies convened to
discuss drug discovery and global
clinical research. Some of the key
speakers included Dr Surinder
Singh, Drug Controller General of
India (DCGI); Dr N. K. Ganguly,
former Director General, Indian
Council of Medical Research
(ICMR), Government of India;
V. Muthuswamy, Senior Deputy
Director, ICMR, Govt. of India; G. J.
Samathanam, Advisor, Department
of Science and Technology, Govt.
of India; K. K. Tripathi, Advisor,
Department of Biotechnology,
Govt. of India; Stanley A. Edlavitch,
Professor of Epidemiology and
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Director of Graduate Training,
University of Missouri–Kansas City,
USA; and Diana Anderson, President
and CEO, DL International, USA (in
cooperation with FDASmart Inc.).
Leading pharmaceutical companies
like Ranbaxy, Quintiles, Dr Reddy’s,
Panacea Biotec, Fortis, Merck, Novo
Nordisk, Unichem, also took part in
this event.
Keynote lectures, workshops, and
parallel discussion and Q&A sessions
on the Indian clinical research market
were conducted. The conference
was intended to create awareness
among industrial houses, innovators,
scientists, researchers, and students
about the emerging avenues in
clinical research.
According to an ICRI study,
the clinical research industry is
growing at an unparalleled rate. It has
opened new vistas of employment
for a large number of trained
professionals. The clinical trials
market worldwide is worth over
US$52 billion and the industry has
employed an estimated 2.1 million
people in the US and over 70 000
in the UK, who together form one
third of the total research and
development staff. There are more
than 250 000 positions vacant
globally and annual salaries ranging
from US$40 000 to US$100 000,
indicating that it is a well-paid
career.
Volume 12 > Number 6 > 2008
■ 79
[ General News ]
The McKinsey Report estimates
that the volume of clinical research
business in India is expected to be
around US$1 billion by 2010. The
ICRI views that this would translate
into the opening up of 50 000 new
career opportunities for life sciences
and medical graduates in India.
The global demand for clinical
research to be undertaken in India
has expanded significantly over the
last 5 years. Considerable interest has
been focused upon the outsourcing
of clinical research to India. The
domestic pharmaceutical industry
has also rapidly begun evolving into
a global player. This conference
highlighted the fundamental
opportunities and challenges faced
by all those conducting clinical
research in India, with solutiondriven sessions presented by experts
from industry and academia who
possess practical global experience.
The ICRI is India’s premier
institute for clinical research. It
was conceived with the objective
of meeting the growing demand of
skilled clinical research professionals
in the future. Several courses are
offered by the Institution that have
been especially designed to suit the
requirements of a large number
of people with varied experiences.
The ICRI currently operates from
four campuses in Mumbai, Delhi,
Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. n
Contact Details:
Institute of Clinical Research (India)
Address:D-41, III Floor
Defence Colony
New Delhi-110024
India
Tel:
+91 011 41551196
Fax: +91 011 1634963
URL: www.icriindia.com
80 ■ Volume 12 > Number 6 > 2008
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