Global clinical development company, Ergomed Group will locate its Middle East and India headquarters at the life sciences park at the Dubai biotechnology and research park, DuBiotec.

Ergomed is the first contract research organization to establish a base at DuBiotech. Founded in 2005, DuBiotech, a member of Tecom Investments, is one of the fastest growing biotechnology clusters in the world. Spread over 300 hectares, it serves as an ideal platform for leading global biotechnology brands to establish their footprint in the region.

The company provides a full suite of clinical trial services to biotechnology companies. It specializes in oncology, neurology and immunology, also offers consultancy and co-development approaches to biopharmaceutical drug development.

Dr Miroslav Reljanovic, CEO, Ergomed Group, said, " We see this expansion as a strategic move, with the Middle East and India now emerging as truly attractive regions for biotechnology. As with our co-development business model, the company has once again become a pioneer in the geographic broadening of a rapidly changing industry. DuBiotech offers the ideal environment to locate our regional headquarters and our presence in the park will gain us new business opportunities".

Dr Abdulqader Al Khayat, executive director of DuBiotech said, "Ergomed has a strong presence in Europe in the biotechnology industry there. We are privileged to host this organization that will broaden the spectrum of companies operating here. It will contribute to the development of clinical research and enable the UAE and the Middle East to compete strongly on the global platform".

The Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park recently announced the completion of its comprehensive regulatory standards for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, comparable with those in Europe and the US. Dubai's favourable funding climate and regulatory environment has opened the doors for international biotechnology companies to establish their regional base in the state-of-the-art park.

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) such as Ergomed are crucial service providers in the modern world of drug development and a necessary component in the growing Middle Eastern biotechnology industry. Prior to the 1990s, pharmaceutical and academic research institutions that were developing drugs usually conducted their own clinical trials. Since then, there has been a trend for global pharmaceutical companies to shift towards streamlining their operations.

As part of that process, many research capabilities have been outsourced and various phases of drug development have been directed to CROs instead. In 2005, US $14 billion of the US $56 billion that pharmaceutical and biotechnology earmarked for R&D was allocated to CROs. Market analysts predict this figure will grow to US$20 billion by 2010.