US-BASED CONTRACT RESEARCHER KENDLE OPENS INDIAN UNIT

Kendle, a US-based contract research organisation, has announced that it is to open a new service unit in India. Company sources claim that the introduction of its Phase I through IV clinical trial services will allow local companies to accelerate the trials process and launch products more rapidly. Plans to enter the local contract research market, which is valued at up to US$100mn and is estimated to be growing at roughly 60-80% per year, were originally announced in October 2004.

However, the company is itself likely to benefit from its Indian expansion. The country is genetically diverse, with a well-equipped local drug sector able to recruit large numbers of patients suffering from Western-style conditions, as well as tropical diseases. The company now appears to be expanding its global research pool, having recently entered markets in South Africa and Peru.