The Clinical Research Education & Management Academy (CREMA) has announced that 70 per cent of its first batch of Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (APGDCR) and Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR) students has been recruited in the industry, even before the completion of their courses.
Companies like Piramal Life Sciences, Sun Pharma, TCS, Cognizant, Novartis, Quintiles and Sanofi Aventis have recruited CREMA's students.
"Two-thirds of our students being absorbed by the industry, even before their convocation, is a testimony to the fact that the education at CREMA is of the superior class and up to date with the needs of the industry. It also throws light on the huge demand in the industry today for an adequately trained clinical research professional," said Vijay Moza, chairman, CREMA.
Moza was addressing a gathering of students and faculty at the convocation ceremony held for its first batch of students in Mumbai on December 13. The ceremony was attended by industry experts like Dr Anish Desai, medical director, Bayer Healthcare, Dr Suresh Bowalekar, managing director, Pharmanet Development Group, and Dr Arun Sanghani, consultant Clinical Research & vice chairman, IDMA, Medical Committee.
"Unlike other industries in general, clinical research industry in India is absolutely recession proof, as there is a lot of demand for trained clinical research professionals. In the next three years, this demand is estimated to grow five times to touch 50,000 from the present 10, 000," said Dr S M Sapatnekar, dean, CREMA.
Recently, India surpassed China to become Asia's most popular destination for conducting clinical trials. According to the planning commission, 139 new trials were outsourced to India in the recent past as against 98 to China.
According to a recent study by McKinsey & Co, global pharma majors would spend around $1-1.5 billion (Rs 4,800 crore to Rs 7,200 crore) for drug trials in the country in the next three to four years, from around $300 million (Rs 1,440 crore) now.
India has been considered as a hub for clinical trials by pharma MNCs due to its high quality and less expensive work resources. The recent economic recession, which has hit the West really hard, has further enhanced the necessity for the MNCs for carrying out clinical trials in the country.