Lotus Labs, a pioneer in clinical research and part of the fourth largest generic pharmaceutical company in the world, has entered into a collaboration with Labindia Instruments P. Ltd, a leader in the field of analytical instrumentation and biotechnology to set up a clinical research academy known as Lotus Clinical Research Academy P. Ltd.
The Academy plans to offer practical training programs tailor made for the industry. It will provide three courses namely a Certificate Course in bioanalytical techniques, a course of Clinical Investigators and a course for Clinical Research Associates for graduates and post graduates in science and pharmacy and a weekend clinical investigator course for medical professionals.
The Academy's objective is to offer these two programmes which will help the industry to find quality talent to meet the ever increasing demand and will also give a competitive edge to students seeking jobs in this fast growing segment.
Sudhir Pai, managing director, Lotus Clinical Research Academy informed that there is a huge demand-supply gap of quality personnel in the clinical research space, especially of trained bioanalytical people. This industry is growing at a scorching pace and in the last five years at least 80 Clinical Research Organizations have been set up, most of them in the area of bioequivalence studies. Generic pharmaceutical majors are also setting up shop in India to use the skilled and cost effective talent pool available here to their advantage.
The regulatory environment is becoming increasingly stringent and exposing untrained people into regulated environment will be a nightmare for both sponsors of clinical trials and the clinical research companies. It is important that they are adequately trained before they take on a job in this field, stated Pai.
India is becoming an industry hub for all the backend activities like development, manufacture, and clinical trials due to cost effectiveness. Lack of quality personnel will hinder the growth of this industry and escalate costs artificially. The aim of this academy is to provide enduring knowledge to its students who can contribute to the overall growth of the pharmaceutical industry and also benefit from this.
The Academy has invested in a state-of-the-art-lab for the LCMSMS and HPLC course which provides a similar work environment found in any regulated environment. For the Clinical Investigator course, an industrial training is also planned. There are experienced professionals to train the students and a computer lab to support software learning. Experts in the industry from India and abroad will be available to guide them on the dynamics of the industry. The Academy has tied up with contract research organizations and Pharmaceutical companies for campus interviews.