WASHINGTON, May 3: India has emerged as a premier destination for conducting global clinical trials, an Indian bureaucrat who is also a Harvard scholar has said, asserting that the pharma industry must recognise the country’s intrinsic value as a primary location rather than relegating it to a secondary backup role.
Speaking at a recent Bio-Pharma summit in Boston, Dr Mrinalini Darswal, an Indian diplomat who is currently a PhD scholar at Harvard University, said that India “boasts a robust infrastructure, a cadre of seasoned investigators, and cost-effectiveness, collectively rendering it an appealing choice for such endeavours”.
“The present aspirational India under the strong and transformative leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a premier destination for conducting global clinical trials, having streamlined its regulatory framework and elevated its compliance standards to align with international good clinical practices,” Darswal said.
“This starkly contrasts larger economies operating under non-democratic regimes, where the long-term risk of geopolitical coercion is markedly high,” Darswal said, as major pharma companies are increasingly looking at various countries for clinical trials.
“It is imperative for the industry to prioritise the integration of Indian sites from the inception of clinical trials, recognising India’s intrinsic value as a primary location rather than relegating it to a secondary backup role — a practice that has been all too common historically,” she said.
At the summit organised by the USA India Chamber of Commerce, Darswal told the participating CEOs from the American pharma industry that India’s democratic governance system and present stable Government furnish an added layer of assurance regarding the continuity of political stability and predictability.
“Moreover, the Indian regulatory authority for pharmaceuticals demonstrates a commendable degree of receptiveness to the perspectives and concerns of the industry,” she said.
“It exhibits a proactive stance in assimilating these insights to refine and enhance policy frameworks, ensuring they are optimally tailored to advance the sector’s interests,” Darswal said.
The strategic inclusion of India in the clinical trial portfolios of multinational pharmaceutical corporations is a topic of ongoing discourse, emphasising the potential to extend the fruits of pharmaceutical innovation to the Indian populace, she said.
However, she noted a palpable discrepancy between the aspirational dialogue at industry forums and the tangible actions undertaken by these entities on the ground. (PTI)
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