Of late, many observers have been waiting to see how good the Indian CROs are at performing in the Phase I and early clinical development world. Veeda, the Ahmedabad-based early phase CRO whose emblem is the tiger has shown its teeth and demonstrated that India can, indeed, deliver what it promises.
In a recent experimental medicine study, Veeda managed to recruit 127 subjects for an experimental medicine trial involving the measurement of both central and peripheral haemodynamics in a mixed population of type 2 diabetics. What was remarkable was not just the level of technology deployed but the fact that the recruitment and study were completed in 10 weeks.
Now, meeting another challenge, Veeda has just completed an 11 day in-house residential study in type II diabetics for a large pharma. In all, some 37 diabetics were screened to meet the criteria for 12 eligible subjects. The subjects resided in the unit for 11 days whilst undergoing studies of the pharma’s novel anti-diabetic agent. The entire study was completed in 14 weeks including follow-up which compares very favourably with 30 weeks for the same study performed in the United States.
Veeda's Group Medical Director, Dr Maurice Cross commented that the Ahmedabad team were beginning to show that the promised potential of India was being delivered and expected that performance would improve further as local patient populations and physicians became comfortable with the idea of being admitted to a medical unit for longer periods of time, something which the Indian population has been timid to accept. |
