WORLD NEWS | India emerging as favorable destination for conducting global clinical trials: Report

WASHINGTON, May 3 (PTI) India has the potential to quintuple the country’s global clinical trials in the next few years, experts highlight biopharma companies taking advantage of India’s rich diversity and strong healthcare infrastructure, a report says significant opportunity to develop innovative therapies.

A joint report by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce and PricewaterhouseCoopers India titled “Clinical Trial Opportunities in India” will be launched on Wednesday at the virtual edition of the 17th Annual Biopharma and Healthcare Summit 2023 in Boston. It also shows that India is emerging as a favorable destination for conducting clinical trials through several key drivers.

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According to the report, the private sector is the best channel for top biopharma companies to conduct more efficient clinical trials, with easier and faster access to researchers and patients.

India has the potential to quintuple the country’s global clinical trials in the next few years, the report said.

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Indian states with high prevalence of diseases such as cancer also have the highest number of Tier 1 cities with advanced medical infrastructure and investigators. Targeting these states could give biopharma companies faster access to patients, research sites and researchers.

The total number of researchers tripled between 2015 and 2020, with most of the increase occurring in the internal medicine and oncology specialties.

However, the increase in the number of investigators was largely confined to first- and second-tier cities, the report said.

While the top 20 pharma activities across major therapeutic categories in India have remained largely unchanged over the past decade, there are opportunities for growth in major diseases (e.g. pain, epilepsy, cervical cancer) and orphan diseases (beta-thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy) , it says.

India has an overall clinical trial participation rate of 3%, but contributes more than 15% to the global burden of most high-incidence diseases (e.g. respiratory infections, cardiovascular, diabetes, cervical cancer), representing untapped potential for top pharmaceutical companies, reports say.

Top biopharma companies should align their strategies to Tier 1 cities (e.g. Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai) where bed capacity, number of doctors and presence of tertiary care multi-urban hospitals can support faster and faster operations The work supports more effective clinical trials, it says.

“This year, with India poised to become the world’s most populous nation, our responsibility to ensure its people benefit from innovations that improve human health has never been greater,” said Andrew Plump, President of Takeda R&D and Chairman of USAIC BioPharma at the Healthcare Summit.

A key part of this will be addressing gaps in clinical trial activity in India and identifying opportunities to jointly promote clinical research and help build the infrastructure to support clinical trials in the country, he added.

India’s growing interest in clinical trials presents a major opportunity for biopharmaceutical companies to take advantage of the country’s rich diversity and strong healthcare infrastructure, said Karun Rishi, president of USAIC.

With its large and diverse patient population, streamlined regulatory processes and highly skilled workforce, India offers a favorable environment for biopharmaceutical companies to conduct efficient and cost-effective clinical trials.

By leveraging this opportunity, companies can accelerate drug development timelines, improve research efficiency, and bring innovative therapies to patients in need, ultimately advancing global healthcare, he said.

“It is distressing to see that India accounts for less than 3.2% of ongoing global clinical trials. Global biopharma companies need to do more to rectify this situation from a scientific and ethical standpoint,” said Rishi .

He said that based on the key data, USAIC has worked closely with the leadership of the world’s top biopharmaceutical companies and CROs over the past year to brainstorm on this issue.

“The response from sponsors and CROs has been very encouraging. They are ready and looking to do more in India. We see the potential for a 5-fold increase in global trials in India in the next few years. Now is the time for India to seize this huge opportunity .Three triggers in favor of India are diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusiveness of clinical trials; Russia-Ukraine conflict and China’s zero-Covid policy,” Rishi said.

India has made good progress in streamlining the regulatory process for clinical trials, he said.

“We encourage India to continue to focus on stable and transparent clinical trial regulations, especially when it comes to conducting clinical trials in India in accordance with International Committee for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. India should strengthen its clinical trial infrastructure, including skills development, and incentivize global biopharmaceutical companies Experiment,” he said.

“Large-scale ethical clinical trials with high quality data will lead to creation of collaborations, investments, skills development, translational research, start-ups, well-paying jobs, resulting in GDP growth. A whole innovation ecosystem will be created in India and ultimately improve Indian patients access to innovative medicines,” Rishi said.

According to Sujay Shetty, partner and global health industry leader at PwC, clinical trial activity in India has been growing steadily since 2014, thanks to several key regulatory reforms aimed at global harmonization that have allowed the country to open up. Clinical Trials.

The country’s diverse population, combined with its rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure, provides fertile ground for clinical trials to flourish.

He said this is an opportunity for top biopharma companies to develop a long-term strategy that focuses on key enablers of innovation and strategic partnerships in India.

Dr. Naresh Trehan, CMD Medanta and USAIC Advisory Board Member, believes that India’s healthcare landscape is poised for transformation, with its large and diverse population requiring innovative solutions to a range of health challenges.

“The potential for clinical trials in the country presents a unique opportunity to leverage cutting-edge research and technology to drive meaningful improvements in patient outcomes and advance the frontiers of medical science. By fostering a collaborative and dynamic ecosystem, India can play an important role in shaping healthcare The future of healthcare benefits everyone,” he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)