India is the seventh largest country in the world by total
area, with the second highest population at 1.2 billion, and
is bordered by the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma,
China, Nepal, and Pakistan. Healthcare issues and diseases
include tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, vascular diseases, cancers,
and diabetes. The India government invested significantly in
the early 2000s in order to encourage foreign investment and
clinical trials. The money was used to create systems and to
recruit and train personnel to process applications, conduct
ethics reviews. Sue Lee at World Courier explains how India
has returned to the fold of clinical trial countries which, with
the additional safeguards in place can only be a positive step
for all concerned – sponsors, patients and CROs alike.