A two-day International Conference on "Global trends in Clinical Research: India 2008" would be held at Hotel International, Mumbai, on 14th March 2008, under the aegis of Institute of Clinical Research (India), ICRI.

The conference, organised by ICRI, India's premiere institution in Clinical Research studies, in sponsorship with Indian Council for Medical Research, will serve as an international and neutral forum to address current solid scientific research in India pertaining to global development of drugs and biologics. Besides discussing the global trends in clinical research, the conference will focus on the real-world issues, facing Clinical Research in India and look to develop a consensus on how India should move forward to ensure efficient, accurate, auditable and ethical Clinical Research data.

Dr S K Gupta, Dean and Director General , ICRI, said, "It will be a wonderful opportunity to interact with the learned scholars and professionals from the field of Clinical Research from around the world. This conference will act as a facilitating forum for participants to gain an insight into the active global issues impacting upon drug development in India. It will also provide possible solutions to current challenges faced by those undertaking Clinical Research in India".

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 trails market worldwide is worth over USD 52 billion and the industry has employed an estimated 21,00,000 people in the US and over 70,000 in the UK, and they form one third of the total Research & Development staff. There are more than 2,50,000 positions vacant globally and annual salaries from $40,000 to $1,00,000 indicating that it is a well-paid career.

By 2010, McKinsey Report estimates, the volume of clinical research business in India is expected to be around US$ 1000 million. 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 five years. A considerable interest has been focused upon "outsourcing" of clinical research to India. The domestic pharmaceutical industry has also rapidly begun involving into a global player. This conference highlights the fundamental opportunities and challenges faced by all, conducting clinical research in India through solution driven sessions presented by experts, from industry and academia, with practical global experience.

Leaders and experts across the pharmaceutical, academia and regulatory agencies will convene to discuss drug discovery and global clinical research. Some of the key speakers include Dr. Surinder Singh Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr N K Ganguly, former Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Stanley A Edlavitch, Professor of Epidemiology & Director Graduate Training, USA.

All leading pharmaceutical companies like Ranbaxy, Quintiles, Dr Reddy's, Panacea Biotec, Fortis, Merck, Novo Nordisk and Unichem are also taking part in this conference.

The conference, aimed at creating awareness among industrial houses, innovators, scientists, researchers and students about the emerging avenues in clinical research, will feature workshops, parallel discussion and Q&A sessions on the Indian clinical research market.