There has been a dip in the number of clinical trials in the country. According to recent data from http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, the percentage of clinical trails in India has come down from 1.5 per cent a couple of years ago to 1.2 per cent, which is inadequate for a country that has the highest disease burden in the world. Advertising Against this background, the Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR) — an association of clinical research professionals that aims to build awareness of clinical research as a speciality in India — held a conference on the theme clinical research advancing the frontiers of health. “The changing profile of diseases affecting the Indian population, the continuing high prevalence of endemic diseases and the emergence of lifestyle diseases all point to an urgent need for greater investment in research and innovation to address India’s increasing disease burden and the incremental costs associated with it,” Dr Chirag Trivedi, president, ISCR, said. In a statement, issued on Friday, Trivedi said the 12th Annual ISCR Conference is underway in Delhi. “Stakeholders need to work together to build and strengthen the clinical research ecosystem in the country and create an environment that encourages more research. At the same time, there is a need for more education and awareness about clinical research and its benefits not just to participating patients, but also to society at large,” the statement said. The conference, being attended by more than 500 clinical research professionals, is focusing on various clinical trial reforms that will build the future research enterprise as well as on emerging research opportunities in India, the statement said. Through two days of panel discussions, the ISCR conference will examine and discuss varied perspectives about clinical research from patients, investigators, regulators and academia. Emerging trends in clinical research, as also career opportunities in clinical research, will also be discussed during the panels. Parallel to the main track, a separate track focused on data management, medical writing and biostatistics is being organised. Advertising A conducive clinical research ecosystem will encourage more research and development and will give an impetus to the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. “We are committed to the DCGI’s commitment to making safe, efficacious, affordable and quality medicinal products for our people. If we can have a Make in India for other goods and services, why cannot we have the same for clinical research too?” Trivedi added

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