Background

A vast, unwieldy population, a plethora of diseases, and rampant poverty: this was the picture India presented to the outside world till a while ago.

But these days the fact that India has the largest pool of patients suffering from cancer, diabetes and other maladies is leading the country to an altogether different destination: the global hub of outsourcing of clinical trials.

Almost all the top names in the pharmaceutical world have zeroed-in on India, setting up clinical trail facilities in major cities.

Global consultancy McKinsey & Co estimates that by 2010, global pharma majors would spend around $1-1.5 billion just for drug trials in the country and that would require around 50000 Clinical Research  professionals by 2010.