India’s council of medical research has made a significant move in establishing a formal partnership with industry and academia for further first-in-human phase one clinical trials of four new pharmaceutical agents. The agreements end support for developing indigenous treatments and innovative therapies, it said.
The pipeline includes a study with the good promises of CAR-T cell therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a small molecule study under multiple myeloma, a Zika virus vaccine, and a seasonal influenza vaccine. It is a diversified portfolio of research under the collaborative ICMR umbrella.
There are four main institutions where the trial will be carried out: KEM Hospital and Seth GS Medical College in Mumbai, ACTREC in Navi Mumbai, SRM Medical College Hospital & Research Centre in Kattankulathur, and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh. The sites are well equipped in terms of infrastructures as well as human resources to perform the trials; besides, support for all sites is provided by a central unit based at ICMR headquarters, New Delhi.
Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR reiterated the call for setting up phase one clinical trial infrastructure that would propel indigenous molecules and innovative drugs. These are the efforts imperative for augmenting the capacities for conducting high-quality clinical research in India, said Dr Bahl, which can help speed up the better availability of advanced therapies to patients.
The strategic collaboration by the government, academia, and industry here speaks volumes for India’s commitment towards assuming a lead role in the world of pharmaceutical innovation and clinical research. Such collaborations will help increase the nation’s capacity to develop and test new medical treatments for the benefits of everybody-not only the country but beyond national healthcare systems.
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