Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of announcing holding the 11th Annual Conference of ICAR beginning here tomorrow, he said with more balanced and rational regulations in place now, it is important for all stakeholders of clinical research to now discuss and evolve strategies to grow the clinical research environment in the country, while ensuring patient safety as well as high quality clinical research for better patient outcomes.

 

With the second highest population in the world and a large disease burden at 20 per cent, less than 1.4 per cent of global clinical research happens in India. ''We need to make newer and better treatment options available locally and to patients globally. For this, India must proactively participate in conducting clinical research and assume a leadership role globally so that we can offer newer treatment options for patients in the country and the world,'' Dr Trivedi said.

 

Denis Xavier, Vice Dean, St John’s Medical College said that according to a report 'The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative', states that the contribution of most major non-communicable disease categories to the total disease burden has increased in all States since 1990. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cancers, and chronic kidney disease. Diarrhoeal diseases, lower respiratory infections, iron-deficiency anaemia, neonatal disorders, and tuberculosis continue to be major public health problems in many poorer states of North India, he said.