Our Bureau

Chennai , July 13

METROPOLIS Health Services, a chain of diagnostic centres, has reached a formal understanding with two hospitals in Chennai and Bangalore to jointly hunt for overseas clinical trials business. The understanding is meant to pool infrastructure to present size-related benefits for clients.

An agreement was signed two weeks ago between Metropolis and Sri Ramachandra Medical College (SRMC) in Chennai and MS Ramaiah Hospitals in Bangalore. Between the hospitals, the alliance could access 3,000 beds, and Metropolis has diagnostics centres spread across southern and western parts of India.

Metropolis' Managing Director Dr G.S.K. Velu said the alliance would market the infrastructure and support services to clinical research organisations (CROs) abroad. It would, however, not supervise any trial conducted in their premises.

Dr Velu described the alliance as a "one-source facilitator to CROs'', and added that the initial response from Swiss CROs was promising. The alliance would also lease its infrastructure to any Indian organisation that requires facilities to carry out trials.

Following the understanding, Dr Velu said representative offices would be set up in the UK and in the US by September. Metropolis is also looking at the possibility of medical Business Process Outsourcing business, he said.

Clinical trial opportunities for India are likely to be sparked by escalating cost of research and development. According to the American research-based pharmaceutical manufacturers' association, PhRMA, the average cost to develop a new drug increased from $138 million in 1975 to $802 million in 2000.

A large patient population that battles a wide range of ailments makes India a likely destination for clinical trials. According to Dr Velu, Singapore's healthcare industry presented the stiffest competition to India in the clinical trials business.

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