ICRI to start four more institutes within six months

MUMBAI: The Institute of Clinical Research India (ICRI) will open four more centres across the country within six months to enhance the talent pool in the manpower drought-hit clinical research endeavours in India.
  
With the supply not commensurating with the demand, clinical research is witnessing a slow pace of growth despite having a vast potential as a number of multinational companies look India forward clinical research facilities.
  
ICRI Dean and Director General S K Gupta told UNI here that the requirement of the industry was as high as 50,000 against the current availability of only 5000 trained manpower. He said clinical research market which was currently at around $600 million, could turnout to be a $1.5 billion -business by 2010. The number of patients participating in clinical trials in India is expected to touch two million by 2010.
  
To partially meet the requirement ICRI which had already started institutes in New Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and here will soon expand to Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chandigarh. It offered both masters and post graduate diploma courses in various aspects of clinical research.  An ideal investment in each centre would be around 10 million US dollars, he added.
  
Replying to a question, he said as many as 300 clinical research organisations have already come up in the country with 75 per cent of them belonging to multinationals.
  
Dr Gupta pointed out that the industry also witnessed paucity of teaching staff.
  
From this year, ICRI planned to offer masters course in translational medicine, molecular medicine and pharma covigilance besides a PG Diploma course in regulatory affairs. He informed that more than 2500 professionals have passed out from the institute.
  
ICRI founder Chairman S R Dugal, participating in a Bio-pharma workshop said despite a rosy picture was being painted over the market potential of pharmaceutical companies in India, the hard reality was that there was shortage of skilled manpower at various levels. The annual requirement of the industry was around 5000 to 6000 and the industry needed around 100,000 professionals. There should be a proper system in place to not only manage the manpower but also to manage exit options of the talent.
  
He referred to those involved in development of drugs in universities and said the country should formulate a strategy in such a way that the researchers did not lack incentives due to the long drawn process of drug development. Beyond three years those heading research of drug development should be given options to participate with the private sector and at the same time research institutions should have a percentage share of the IP.