A vast, unwieldy population, a plethora of diseases, and rampant poverty: this was the picture India presented to the outside world till a while ago. Yet these days the fact that India has the largest pool of patients suffering from cancer, diabetes and other maladies is leading the country to an altogether different destination: the global hub of outsourcing of clinical trials.
Almost all the top names in the pharmaceutical world have zeroed-in on India, setting up clinical trail facilities in major cities, especially Hydearbad and Ahmedabad. Global consultancy McKinsey & Co estimates that by 2010, global pharma majors would spend around $1-1.5 billion just for drug trials in the country.
For instance, trials for a standard drug in the United States can cost about $150 million. A similar drug could be tested in India at a 60 per cent reduction of that whopping cost. India's drug industry officials say the clinical-trials outsourcing has just begun in the country. Here is the list of some gaints operating in India and finding it successful
Eli Lilly
The global pharmaceutical giant has 17 large and small clinical research projects running in 40 hospitals across India.
The company's clinical trials are to test if Xigris, which is indicated for reduction of mortality in adult patients, can be used for sepsis. Eli Lilly has already held clinical trials involving more than 600 patients for Human Insulin and Insulin Lispro. It is also these days conducting trials on oncology, and developing a new molecule for lung cancer.
Pfizer
The pharma giant has picked up six cities in the northeastern states of India to conduct clinical trials on 300 patients on a new malaria 'cocktail' drug that combines chloroquine (to which Indian malarial strains have developed resistance) and azithromycin, an antibiotic.
Pfizer is also carrying out clinical trials for drugs to treat osteoporosis, breast cancer and schizophrenia. Pfizer's cumulative investment on clinical research in India is believed to be $13 million.
Roche
The Swiss pharma major has set up clinical trial sites in India as part of its global trials for treatment of a particular variant of lung cancer. One of the reasons for considering India is that it has a vast patient population infected by this type of lung cancer, which is primarily triggered by use of tobacco products.
India is also being considered a prospective site for Roche's future clinical trials involving new drugs and therapies for treatment of different variants of blood cancer and colorectal diseases.
SIRO Clinpharm
SIRO is currently conducting clinical trial projects in over 30 hospitals across the country for several clients from Europe, Japan, the United States and also India. The trials in India are mostly in different areas like oncology, endocrinology, traumatology, sports medicine, pulmonary diseases, pediatric diseases and infectious diseases.
Clinigene International
The Bangalore-based Clinigene says India's huge population allows new-drug studies to be completed much faster. Last year, when a biotechnology company from the US needed 400 diabetics for a study, Clinigene began by heading to a nearby hospital specialising in diabetes, where a dozen new patients arrive every day and more than 40,000 are in its records.
ClinAsia believes Indian market would flourish to a great extent and is ever ready for opportunities bieng a clinical research organization with excellent infrastructure second to none.
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