Oncology Services Europe launches Indian operations

Ahmedabad: The Munich-based Oncology Services Europe (OSE), a full service Contract Research Organisation (CRO), specialising in clinical drug development in oncology, announced the launch of its India operations with the establishment of independent clinical services company, Oncology Services India (OSI) in Ahmedabad, to offer a complete clinical service range from Phase I to Phase IV trials.

With this, the basis of a new international oncology specialist within the global CRO business has been established. The new entity in India combines the best of clinical research capabilities of Europe and India, according to a company statement here.

Announcing the initiative, the OSI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Vimal Sanghavi, said OSI would replicate the success of its European experience of multi-centric global trials in the Indian sub-continent.

Clinical trials have grown increasingly global, larger and more complex. Government regulations are progressively more stringent, requiring more studies with larger patient populations, especially in oncology.

OSE would tap the high growth potential of clinical services sector in oncology segment of India. The company is looking at the lion’s share of the country’s $300-million clinical trials market, which is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 15 per cent over the next four years. By 2011, this would bring nearly 15 per cent of the total global clinical trials to India and generate annual revenue of $1 billion, according to market studies and research statistics, Dr Sanghavi said.

The CEO of OSE, Dr Wolfgang Beier, said pharmaceutical and biotech companies are looking to outsource their clinical trial management to partners who know how to work within the changing regional and global clinical trial regulations.

OSE is a specialised CRO in oncology clinical trials, providing technical expertise in terms of professional project management, and inter-disciplinary consulting competence regarding the clinical development of anti-cancer drugs.