Indian CRO Siro Clinpharm sets up shop in Czech Republic

Mumbai based clinical research services provider Siro Clinpharm has opened an office in Prague, Czech Republic.

Siro Clinpharma plans to offer clinical research services including clinical monitoring, biostatistics and statistical programming, from its Prague office.

Siro’s new office in Czech Republic will strengthen the CRO’s operational capabilities in Europe because Czech Republic has an excellent resource base of GCP trained, well qualified clinical research personnel, stated Scott Spector, president, Strategic Operations, Europe.

“We established our presence in Europe with the acquisition of Omega Mediation, a Germany based CRO in April 2008. During the last 18 months, as a part of our global strategy, we have expanded our capabilities by opening offices in North East and South East Europe. Our Czech Republic office will consolidate our position in Central Europe.” said Dr. Chetan Tamhankar, chief operating officer of SIRO Clinpharm.

Siro started its European operations in April 2008 with the acquisition of Omega Mediation, a Germany based CRO. Siro acquired 100% stake, in an all cash deal, with the companies within the Omega Mediation Group, a leading mid-sized CRO.

The acquisition was expected to provide Siro with operational capabilities in 5 key European Countries and Israel and access to Omega’s clients with major European pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Subsequently Siro has expanded its reach through starting operations in North East and South East Europe.

Siro will continue to look for further expansion in the European clinical research outsourcing sector, he added.

Dr Ladislav Pecen, country manager will be in charge of operations in Czech Republic for Siro.

Siro is a leading contract research organization from India with multinational operations. With a presence in over 15 countries across North America, Europe and Asia, Siro offers global bio-technology.

Siro offers a range services related to clinical drug development process including feasibility and patient access planning, project management and planning, clinical monitoring, medical services, clinical audit services and quality assurance, site contract management, clinical resourcing, investigator recruitment, CRF design, clinical data management, biostatistics and medical writing.

Siro Clinpharma entered into an alliance with CambReg Regulatory Services, a UK based pan-European regulatory services provider, offer regulatory services for small and midsized companies in the European markets, in August.

Before that in April, Siro ClinPharm forged an alliance  with oncology drug development service provider Advanced Clinical Trial Solutions LLC (ACT Solutions) of USA.

The Flemington, NJ-based ACT Solutions, which offers services in developing cancer therapeutics, is concentrated in the North American market.

This alliance will enable SIRO to expand its oncology clinical development and patient recruitment expertise to North America. ACT Solutions and its clients will benefit by gaining access to Siro’s clinical study management, patient recruitment, data management, biostatistics and medical writing capabilities in India and European countries.

In early July, 2007 SIRO acquired Global Client Partners (GCP), a US based CRO with strong client networks among the US biotech and pharma companies.

Quite recently, Siro has set up its office in Princeton, NJ, with an objective to reach strategic customers in North America.

Siro Clinpharm has offices in US, Europe and Israel, apart from India.

Siro’s overseas expansion can be looked at a reversal of sorts while several CROs and pharma and biotech companies are getting increasingly attracted to Indian clinical research market.

Recently, several CROs across the world have been setting up base in India taking into account of the vast growth potential in the region.

The Indian affiliate of the Switzerland-based contract research organisation PFC Pharma Focus has jointed hands with Excel Life Sciences (ELS) to launch PFC India, a full-service CRO specializing in clinical monitoring and data management services, in June.

Australian clinical research company Novotech’s strategic partnership pact with ETI Klinical Pvt Ltd of India to full clinical and data management services in May, another example.

Similarly, in April, Chinese CRO Excel PharmaStudies (Excel) entered into a pact with GVK Biosciences – a first-ever alliance between a Chinese and Indian CRO –to offer Phase II-IV clinical trials management, statistical analysis and medical writing sevices spanning India and China.

India is becoming a major hub for clinical studies because all the major pharmaceutical and biotech players as well as major CROs are making India their base for conducting global clinical trials.
A latest report by RNCOS indicates that clinical trial outsourcing market in India is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of over 30% during 2010-2012 to around US$ 600 million by 2012,

India will become one of the highest growing clinical trial destinations in the world, with this kind of growth, according to the study titled “Booming Clinical Trials Market in India”.

Finding and recruiting patients – the most crucial part of the clinical research — who can qualify for a clinical trial, is relatively much easier in India as compared to the Western countries.