PRA International, the US-based contract research organisation (CRO) that was acquired by affiliates of private equity firm Genstar Capital last December, has moved its office in Mumbai, India to a more centrally located facility with over three times the space.
The new site includes more offices as well as conference and meeting spaces. It will “more comfortable accommodate the Mumbai team of 20+ clinical operations staff while allowing for future expansion of the workforce”, PRA noted.
The CRO, which secured a foothold in the fast-expanding Indian market for clinical research two years ago with the purchase of local company and Phase II-IV specialist Sterling Synergy Systems, said the larger Mumbai office would expand on the services PRA could offer to its clients in India and the surrounding regions as well as around the globe.
“With an anticipated staff of up to 50 clinical team members by the end of 2008, PRA India will potentially increase its service capacity by 150% in comparison to September 2007,” the company added.
The facility is located in the newly developed Andheri East area of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), close to the main train station and to the city’s international local airports. A growing biotechnology and pharmaceutical corridor in the region will continue to boost PRA’s access to “a skilled talent pool, as well as operational resources and potential clients”, it commented.
Service on offer
Services already offered by the Mumbai office include project management, comprehensive clinical monitoring, clinical investigator identification and recruitment, study site selection and validation, submissions to ethics committees/institutional review boards and regulatory authorities, safety monitoring, pharmacy and drug depot services, and identification of service providers.
Among the additional services that will be offered as the office expands are increased safety monitoring, protocol development and medical writing, as well as other clinical consultation services, PRA noted. The CRO also offers data management services in India out of its Pune office.
