Indian & Canadian CROs form joint venture

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 18, 2007 – Matrix Group (Hyderabad, India) and ethica Clinical Research (Montreal, Canada) have formed a joint venture, ethicamatrix CRO Pvt Ltd, to manage contract research services in India. It will initially focus on study monitoring, data management, and investigator training.

The new company will conduct clinical trials in India for life sciences companies in Europe and North America, allowing them to benefit from lower research costs and enhanced availability of trial subjects. ethica also expects to pick up business from Indian pharmaceutical companies requiring clinical trials in Canada.

Several teaching hospitals, including Shree Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), are reported to be seeking partnerships with ethicamatrix. SVIMS, located in Tirupati, Andra Pradesh, is one of two teaching hospitals in the state to have received national status from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS).

Founded in 2002, ethica is the first Canadian CRO to establish a joint venture with a similar Indian firm. Established in 1996 by chairman and managing director Mr Siva Prasad, Matrix Group is active in the life sciences, aquaculture and agricultural sectors.

Ethica says it is the only CRO in the world to have earned full accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs. It intends to seek AAHRPP accreditation for ethicamatrix in due course. “We intend to build ethicamatrix into the premiere self-regulated CRO in India,” said ethica director of clinical and scientific affairs Murray Jensen. Submitted by www.jobs4dd.com - listing all the latest jobs in the clinical research and biopharm sectors.