Dr Lal PathLabs launches clinical research services

(From L-R) Nitin Jain, head, international business and clinical research, Dr Arvind Lal, CMD and Dr OP Manchanda, COO, at the launch.

Dr Lal PathLabs has launched its clinical research services by opening a dedicated state-of-the-art clinical trial laboratory (central lab) at Gurgaon.

Dr Arvind Lal, chairman and managing director, Dr Lal PathLabs, said, The state-of-the-art 4,000 sft facility set up at Gurgaon is exclusively for clinical trial operations. Besides we are also setting up a mega 65,000 sft laboratory at Rohini in North Delhi, which is expected to be in place by 2008.

He further said, "We are increasing our focus on clinical trial business for three principal reasons -global pharma companies increasingly outsourcing clinical trials to CROs, India's unique genetic diversity being ideal for running clinical trials, and our expertise in conducting laboratory tests, which we have been conducting for many companies for the last 10 years."

Nitin Jain, head, international business and clinical research, said, "For the year ending March 2007, clinical research services, which was earlier a part of the main business has contributed to close to about 8 percent to the total sales revenue of Rs 100 crore. With the launch of the dedicated facility and a separate team to look after this service, we are looking at a target of Rs 10-15 crore for the current financial year. He further said, Besides taking up projects from the domestic companies we are also keen to work for multinational companies. In this regard we are appointed representatives in US and Europe.

Dr Om Manchanda, COO, Dr Lal PathLabs, said, "The prime location of the Gurgaon laboratory, barely 15 minutes away from Delhi's airport will ensure that samples from all over the world reach the lab in the least possible time. The easy access will play a vital role in LPL's success in the clinical trial business."

Cabinet gives nod for joint research in vaccines

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing the agreement in the field of vaccine research by India and International Institute of Vaccine, Korea.

The signing of the agreement does not have any financial implication for the Central government. On the other hand, it will give opportunities for inputs to the direction and priorities of International Vaccine Institute (IVI), which would be beneficial to India. However, the agreement shall encourage cooperation between India and the International Vaccine Institute, Korea. As per the agreement, India could offer a place on Board of Trustees, and would be able to play a role in formulation of international policy related to vaccines.

Signatories to the IVI Establishment Agreement as of March 2002 are Republic of Korea, China, Brazil, Egypt, Pakistan, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Panama Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and World Health Organization.

The IVI is an autonomous organization set up at the initiative of the UN Development Programe under the Vienna Convention of 1969.

Quintiles India opens central lab in Mumbai

Dennis Gillings, chairman and CEO of Quintiles Transnational Corp, and his wife inaugurating the central lab.

Quintiles India celebrated its 10 years of presence in India in style by opening its new central lab in Mumbai. With the inclusion of central lab to its list of services, Quintiles India now offers all services to its customers in India that are on offerings at the parent organization. Besides its central lab and clinical research businesses, Quintiles India offers electrocardiogram (ECG), interactive voice response (IVR) and data management services.

The new lab expands Quintiles' global central laboratory network and enhances the suite of services offered in the country to support global and regional clinical trials. It will provide access to Quintiles laboratory kits, ensure that all study samples are processed using consistent methods and completed in a timely manner, and will oversee the data transfer for inclusion in the Quintiles Laboratory Information Management System (QLIMS) and the protocol-specific database.

Dedicating the new central lab in Mumbai, Dennis Gillings, chairman and CEO of Quintiles Transnational Corp., said, "The opening of this new lab in India symbolizes the rapid growth and achievement of our team here, as well as the acceptance of India as a center for clinical research. Establishing an office in Ahmedabad in 1997, we have added offices in Mumbai and Bangalore with a full complement of services, expanded our clinical research staff to 750 and have conducted more than 700 global trials across business lines. We also were involved in the training of hundreds of investigators on GCP guidelines and helped put India on the world map for clinical research."

Tom Wollman, senior vice president, global central laboratories, said, "The new lab is harmonized with Quintiles' global network. The India lab has begun proficiency testing for certification by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and we look forward to adding another lab with this well-recognized global standard of quality to our global footprint.

Next Page : BioNews