New Delhi, Saturday, January 23, 2010: Eying a sizeable share of global clinical trials market, Fortis Healthcare, a private hospital chain in India, Thursday said it will now focus more on clinical research across its network in fields like oncology, neurology, nephrology and orthopaedics.

Currently, Fortis has been active in clinical trials in the field of cardiology.

Fortis Healthcare chief Shivinder Mohan Singh said: “This initiative reaffirms our commitment to continuously enhance healthcare services in the country and to provide better solutions to our customers. We believe this will significantly contribute to India’s vision of meeting the global standards of healthcare delivery.”

The company has plans to include clinical researches in the domains of oncology, neurology, nephrology and orthopaedics. The company will enrol a talent pool of over 150-200 personnel which will include about 45 doctors and 100-150 research associates, hospital authorities said in a statement.

The clinical research market in India is growing at an annual rate of approximately 100 percent and remains largely untapped with immense potential. The availability of a varied genetic pool, huge volume of patients and substantial capability makes clinical research in India very cost effective.

As per industry lobby FICCI & research firm Ernst & Young Survey report 2008, India may attract between 5-10 percent of the global contract research outsourced market over the next 5 years.

Utilising the size and strength of its network hospitals, Fortis will conduct all phases of clinical trials. Fortis will leverage the strength, the company said.

At least seven greenfield hospitals under this company are at the construction stages. It includes a state-of-the-art flagship facility at Gurgaon and the soon to be commissioned hospital at Shalimar Bagh in the national capital. Fortis currently has a network of 45 hospitals.

Ref: blog.taragana