Chiltern International has opened a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sharon Rouse, senior regulatory affairs officer, will manage the office. She has 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs and has worked in South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

"There is a large amount of interest in clinical research in South Africa, but the market for CROs is very competitive as many organizations have representative offices here," she explained. "Johannesburg is definitely the hub of South Africa with 60% of all business being conducted here, 20% in Durban and the rest spread amongst the other cities such as Cape Town.

"South Africa is a vibrant, bustling, well developed and booming economy. It is in a position to become the clear leader on the continent for clinical research and Chiltern's decision to establish its name in the market indicates how it has become a truly global business."

According to a company release, clinical research in Africa is in demand as not only is it a regulatory requirement to encompass all ethnic varieties in the research programs but Africa has an abundance of diseases such as malaria, HIV AIDS and tuberculosis. Furthermore, due to the environment and greater industrialisation, there has also been a rise in better known conditions such as respiratory disease. The growing number of medical publications reflects the advances being made in these areas through using Africa as a centre for clinical research.

"Chiltern has the right approach to working in Africa," explains Sharon. "The continent is vast encompassing a range of countries with myriad cultures, languages, systems of communication, and widely varying conditions for clinical trials but our familiarity with the continent allows us to run clinical trials to the same high quality and ethical standards as elsewhere in the world.

"There are a variety of challenges that will be encountered when running clinical trials in Africa, but overcoming them can help provide valuable information for the development of a new medicine and can be a rewarding experience for those involved in such projects."