My Clinical Trials Diary

 According to a new market research report "Contract Research Organization Services (CROs) Market by Type (Discovery, CMC, Preclinical, Clinical Research, Laboratory Services), Therapeutic Area (Oncology, CNS, Cardiovascular), End User (Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device) - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets™, the global market is projected to reach USD 56.34 Billion by 2023 from USD 39.13 Billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 7.6%. Continue reading here ᐧ

Scientists have been developing an eye drop that can be self-administered, thus revolutionizing treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Currently treated by injections of sight-saving drugs into the eye which must be administered by medical professionals, it is estimated that, by 2020 there will be about 200 million people worldwide with AMD. However, scientists at the Britain's University of Birmingham have been developing an alternative treatment in the form of an easy-to-use eye drop. After earlier proving that the drop has a similar therapeutic effect as injections do in rodents, the team began investigating the drug in rabbits and pigs, which have eyes that are similar to those of humans. The new study demonstrated that the eye drops can deliver a therapeutically effective amount of the drugs to the retina of the larger mammalian eye. "For several years, our team has focused on the challenge of deliveri...

Experts in the clinical trial arena are of the view that there is an urgent need for a predictable regulatory environment in the country to create global trust in India as a stable clinical trial market. But, they rued that developments in the last few years have dented the confidence of sponsors in doing clinical research in India.   India is on a slow recovery period and there is a need to ensure that it continues the growth trajectory. "Various factors, including reports of alleged irregularities in clinical trials have also led to a lot of misinformation and negative perceptions of clinical trials in India. Besides this, some of the clauses of The Draft Clinical Trial Rules 2018 around compensation are regressive and, if implemented, could force sponsors  both domestic and foreign to reconsider doing clinical trials in India,"explains Naz Haji, Managing Director, IQVIA India.   Formed through the merger of IMS Health and Quintiles, IQVIA is a leading global provider o...

Tuberculosis causes 250,000 deaths in India each year Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) have discovered a new drug combination that promises better outcome in treating Tuberculosis (TB), which causes 250,000 deaths in India each year. Animal studies on mice shows that the drug Pranlukast (PRK) not only killed tuberculosis bacteriumbut also compromised its survival strategies within the cells, said the research, published in the February issue of online journal, EMBO Molecular Medicine. "The problem with TB is the bacterium keeps developing resistance against new drugs and at least 15 drugs have been abandoned so far, either due to resistance against the drug or severe toxicity," says Dr Avdhesha Suroli, lead researcher of the project. "Our research has proved this combination could work better and be an effective addition to the TB drug pipeline that needs to be reinvented frequently. We need the government or pharma companies to come forward a...