Apollo Hospitals enters Phase I clinical trials market with Quintiles

Quintiles, a global bio-pharmaceutical services company offering clinical, commercial, consulting and capital solutions to global pharma companies, has joined forces with healthcare major Apollo Hospitals to kick off Phase I clinical trials.

The Quintiles facility set up in Hyderabad will be the fourth Phase I facility of the company with the other three located in Sweden, London and the US.

Apollo, in fact, is engaged with many clinical research companies and has so far conducted about 400 trials. But the arrangement with Quintiles would take the hospital group for the first time into Phase I market.

“With this new unit we are reinforcing India’s position as a key player in the global drug development market and expanding the options available to pharma sponsors,” Shobhana Kamineni, executive director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said.

“We have been operating in India for the last 14 years and about 6% of our trials are conducted in India. But this is for the first time we are setting up a facility to conduct Phase I trials,” Eddie Caffrey, senior vice-president and global head of Quintiles Phase I, said.

The new facility developed at a cost of `40 crore in the Apollo premises in Hyderabad has 86 beds with separate wards for women and children. While Quintiles holds 60% share in the venture, the balance is held by Apollo.

“About 50 global pharma leaders work with us for clinical research. We will bring drug candidates from various therapeutic segments including diabetes, central nervous system, cardio-vascular and pain management for trials to Hyderabad,” he said.

While Caffrey refused to disclose the financials, he said the facility would break even in about two years. Quintiles has already closed a deal with one global pharma major for trials in the new facility and is “talking to many more.”