Clinical research is in

Updated on: Monday, February 22, 2010

By 2010-11, the country will require the services of 50,000 clinical research professionals. The scope is immense

Clinical Research is one of the best things to have happened to Indian science graduates. Any medical graduate or a graduate with life sciences or pharmacology who is armed with a diploma from a good clinical research institute has the potential to join the field and earn much more than his counterparts from other industries. A Clinical Researcher’s job entails the effect of drugs on human beings. There are several stages in clinical research, the purpose of which is to prioritise the safety of drugs. In the first phase, the testing is done on healthy human beings. In the second and third phases, the efficacy of the new drug is tested as compared to other drugs or placebos. After all these studies are conducted, a drug may be given an authorisation. However, the research does not stop here. Trials and post-marketing surveillance continue. These are done to highlight the rare side effects that the drug may have on some.

According to a recent McKinsey study, Indian institutes at present train about 1,000 clinical research professionals every year. “By 2010-11, the country will require the services of 50,000 professionals. Global pharmaceutical majors will spend around US$ 1.6 billion for drug trials across the world in coming four years. At present, pharmaceutical companies invest about US$ 300 million. The potential is therefore, immense,” says Dr. S. K. Gupta, Director and Dean, Institute of Clinical Research (India).

So, if you are planning on taking up the profession, the ability to work in a team is important as you will have to interact daily with clinical personnel based elsewhere in India and abroad. You must also be a skilled negotiator.

Undergraduate and postgraduate degree holders in life sciences, including nursing, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology or pharmacy, are eligible for entry-level positions in clinical research. Courses in various institutes range from six months to one year. The Institute of Clinical Research, for instance, conducts a one-year and a two-year M.Sc in Clinical Research, PG Diploma in Advanced Clinical Research and M.Sc in Clinical Research Management. Mumbai-based Clinical Research Educa-tion and Management Academy (CREMA), with branches in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, runs a full-time course, Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research and three part-time PG diplomas in Pharmacovigilance, Clinical Data Management and Clinical Research. “Besides enriched modules of clinical research, we have focused on management and soft skills in these courses to make students perform better in corporate set-ups,” says Dr. S.M. Sapatnekar, Dean, CREMA.

India is fast emerging as an attractive destination for global clinical trials. This is because of the availability of a vast pool of patients and also well-trained medical professionals. The fact that the entire documentation of medicine in India is in English, is an added attraction.

A clinical research fresher is usually inducted as a Research Executive, during which his salary ranges between Rs. 2.5 and 4 lakh per annum. After that he becomes a Clinical Research Advisor. At this time, his salary ranges between Rs. 6 and 9 lakh per annum. A Project Manager earns Rs. 15 to 18 lakh annually while a Group Project Manager’s earnings are between Rs. 35 to 50 lakh per annum. At the top of the hierarchy is the Operations Director who earns in the range of Rs. 60 to 80 lakh per annum. With lucrative earning prospects, clinical research is an exciting career option. Any takers?

Clinical research is in

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