Govt mulls first-of-its-kind clinical trials institute

The Andhra Pradesh government is proposing to set up an institute which will provide training facilities to manpower for conducting all phases of clinical trials. At present, there are no institutes existing on these lines in the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Consultation on Draft National Biotech Development Strategy organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), A Ashok, director of biotechnology, government of Andhra Pradesh, said, "We are proposing to set up an institute for clinical trials so that the manpower which is employed for such purposes is well trained to conduct such trials."

"We will require a minimum of Rs 2 crore to set up this institute, and are hoping to get funds from the Department for International Development (DFID) for this purpose," he added.

The government will be presenting a proposal to DFID in this regard. Private participation may also be invited for setting up the institute.

"At present, biotech companies in India outsource their clinical trials to lesser-known entities that may not be efficient in their operations. This can impact the safety standards of the drugs that are discovered through these trials. So such an institute is required to ensure that safety is not compromised in the process of drug discovery," Ashok said, adding that the institute may take at least a year to start its operations as the proposal is still in the initial stages. The institute may later undertake clinical trials for companies as well.

"This institute will give a further boost to the image of the state in the biotechnology sector besides giving a fillip to the drug discovery process in India," he said.