Healthcare experts urge India to rewrite clinical trial rules to boost global market share
As of 2022, India held an 8% share in global clinical trials - which evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new treatments - compared to China's 29%, the U.S.'s 25%, and 38% for the rest of the world, data from consultancy PwC showed.
"There's a lot to learn from what other countries have done to make them clinical trial destinations," BCG India partner Smruthi Suryaprakash said, pointing out that China saw an increase in innovation after easing regulations, while Australia has benefited from offering significant tax incentives.
India's clinical trials research market is rapidly expanding, supported by a diverse patient base, cost-effective solutions, and a growing hospital network, according to U.S.-based GrandView Research, which forecasts revenues exceeding $2 billion by 2030.
"India will be able to capture the clinical trial (market) if we can really work on the speed. I think speed is what is really important to sponsors, either with regulator or being able to recruit patients faster," Suryaprakash added.
Suryaprakash, along with other experts, was speaking as part of a panel at the BioAsia conference in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
Rajeev Raghuvanshi, who heads India's drug regulator, said it was working to make the regulatory process more streamlined for global trials in India, based on feedback from stakeholders.
"We have aligned things every year on average for the last three years," the drugs controller general of India said.
The agency which revamped its trial rules in 2019, had approved about 160 trials in the last three years, he added.
RECRUITING THE RIGHT PATIENTS
Allowing sponsors to raise awareness among patients, such as through advertisements of ongoing studies, would also help India advance as a recruitment site, the experts said.
Advertising studies for experimental treatments could be helpful, especially for patients with rare diseases without many treatment options. It is a common practice in countries such as the U.S. and the U.K.
"You're not able to recruit into the trial because they (patients) do not know that it exists," said Padmaja Lokireddy, an oncologist at Apollo Hospitals (APLH.NS), opens new tab.
That needs to change, experts said.
Some other experts highlighted challenges related to preparing a clinical trial site, ensuring it meets global safety standards and recruiting the right patients.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Blood test finds early ovarian cancer
Aug 15 (Reuters) - An experimental blood test detects early-stage ovarian cancer in patients with vague symptoms that would likely be misdiagnosed using currently available methods, researchers said in a new report. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, largely due to delays in diagnosis until after the disease has spread in the body, at which point it's harder to treat, according to the researchers. More than 90% of patients with early-stage ovarian cancer experience symptoms that can be mistaken for benign conditions, such as bloating, abdominal pain, and digestive issues. Not only have there been no reliable blood tests for these patients, but existing invasive tests often miss early-stage ovarian tumors, the researchers noted inCancer Research Communications, opens new tab. Using machine learning tools, the researchers identified multiple biomarkers - from across a wide range of molecules and processes in the body - that could be combined into a single test that detects all sub-types of the disease, at all stages, they said. Trialed at a large medical center on blood samples from nearly 400 women with possible symptoms of ovarian cancer, the test was 92% accurate at identifying those with any stage of ovarian cancer and 88% accurate at identifying those with Stage I or Stage II disease, according to the report. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, chief executive officer of the company developing the new test -Denver, Colorado-based AOA Dx - said the findings show its potential to aid 'in making faster, more informed decisions for women who need urgent clarity during a challenging diagnostic process.' PREVENTING ELDERS' 'LEAKY BRAIN' MIGHT STAVE OFF COGNITIVE DECLINE The blood-brain barrier gets leakier with age, contributing to memory deficits – and new discoveries of the mechanisms behind this process might lead to new ways of preventing cognitive decline, researchers say. The blood-brain barrier - a layer of tightly-junctioned cells lining the brain's blood vessels - keeps viruses, bacteria and toxins out while allowing helpful nutrients and chemicals in. 'Basically, it's a mechanism that separates the central nervous system from everything else,' study leader Yulia Komarova of University of Illinois Chicago said in a statement. In previous research, Komarova and her colleagues found that removing a protein called N-cadherin from the cells lining blood vessels made the vessels leakier in the brain. In a new study published in Cell Reports, opens new tab, her team found that mice without N-cadherin could learn tasks as well as normal mice, but they quickly forgot what they learned. In further experiments, they found when N-cadherin proteins on neighboring cells interact, they stabilize a protein, called occludin, which helps form the tight junctions in the blood-brain barrier that maintains the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Examining human brain tissue collected during epilepsy surgeries, the researchers found that samples from patients in their 40s and 50s had lower levels of N-cadherin and occludin than samples from patients in their late teens and 20s. Komarova's team is now investigating whether steps in the signaling pathway activated by N-cadherin could be therapeutic targets. 'This paper shows that actually there might be a much bigger therapeutic window for treatment of any age-related cognitive decline condition,' she said. Previous studies may have underestimated the number of deaths related to wildfire smoke in Europe by as much as 93%, according to a report in The Lancet Planetary Health, opens new tab. In new research, using daily mortality records from 654 contiguous regions in 32 European countries, researchers found that for every 1 microgram per cubit meter increase in wildfire smoke particles, all-cause mortality rose by 0.7%, respiratory mortality by 1%, and cardiovascular mortality by 0.9%. Annually since 2004, short-term exposure to wildfire pollution was responsible for an average of 535 deaths from all causes, the researchers calculated – while estimates in previous studies had put that number at around 38 deaths per year, they said. 'Human-driven climate change is one of the main causes of the rising frequency and intensity of wildfires, as it creates favorable conditions for their spread and increases the number of days with very high or extremely high fire risk,' study leader Anna Alari of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health said in a statement. 'Improving estimates of (wildfire smoke related) mortality will help better track the burden of this climate change-related threat to public health.' A separate study found that as wildfire pollution levels rise, firefighters' hearts work harder, researchers wrote in Circulation Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, opens new tab. After fighting the Park Fire in California, firefighters' heart rate at rest would rise by an average of 1.4 beats per minute for every 10-ug/m3 increase in particulate matter. Although the increase in resting heart rate was modest, and the rate remained within normal levels, even slight elevations have been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over time in large population studies. (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here)
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Warning as deadly ‘suitcase viruses' that destroy organs and trigger brain swelling spread across the UK and Europe
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DEADLY viruses could be making their way to the UK on planes and in holidaymakers' suitcases, experts warn. They say international travel is fuelling a "concerning" rise in both chikungunya and oropouche, and the worst could be yet to come. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 18 Mosquitoes carrying potentially-deadly viruses could be making their way to the UK on planes Credit: Getty 18 There have been outbreaks of chikungunya and oropouche in countries like China, Brazil and Mauritius Credit: Getty 18 Lockdown measures and insecticide sprays are in force in some areas Credit: Reuters It comes against a backdrop of growing chikungunya outbreaks across the world, including a surge in cases in the UK. And the first case of oropouche has been detected in the UK, in travellers from Brazil. Simon Clarke, professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told The Sun: "As Brits develop more exotic tastes for travel to warmer places closer to the equator, we are increasingly likely to see unusual infections upon their return. "While oropouche is mainly found in the Amazon and chikungunya in sub-tropical regions, they are spreading. "Both have been detected in the United States and Europe, where sporadic outbreaks in France and Italy have occurred." Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, added: "There is a small risk of airport associated infections whereby infected mosquitoes arrive in the UK on board airplanes and then escape. "The spread of any infection into a previously unexposed population is always a matter for concern." Chikungunya is a virus spread by mosquito bites, the symptoms of which include a sudden fever and joint pain. Most people recover within two weeks, but the joint pain can last for months or even years, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). In some cases, it is so bad it causes sufferers to "fold in half" or "become contorted" as they double over in agony. Serious complications are not common, but in rare cases the disease can cause organ damage and be fatal, particularly in very young or older people, or those with underlying health conditions. Oropouche virus There have been 73 cases of chikungunya reported in England, primarily in London, between January and June 2025 - the highest number ever recorded. This compares to 27 cases for the same period last year, according to data from the UK Health and Security Agency. The majority were linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius. There is currently no risk of onward transmission of chikungunya, as the two species of mosquito that transmit the disease are not established in the UK. But Prof Hunter says: "The fact that locally-acquired infections are being reported from multiple locations this year is concerning. "There will be several more weeks before the mosquito season starts to tail off [so it could get worse]. "We will almost certainly see more cases in the UK, but at least for a few decades, these are all likely to have been acquired overseas. "Both chikungunya and oropouche can occasionally be fatal." Experts fear cases could rise due to global travel and rising temperatures. Prof Clarke said: "Chikungunya is spread by mosquitoes, one of which, the tiger mosquito, has been detected in the South East of England. 18 "It's worth emphasising the negative impact that global warming may have on a resilience to infections like this, which we've always taken for granted in the UK. "A warmer climate may mean that we have to take greater precautions at home against infections spread by insects." Prof Hunter added: "We have seen local outbreaks of both dengue and chikungunya multiple times on the Mediterranean coasts of France, Italy and Spain over the past decade, and such events seem to be becoming more frequent. "Chikungunya outbreaks are less common than dengue, but when we do see them, they tend to be big, at least in Italy." Chikungunya can be a nasty disease and we're seeing a worrying increase in cases among travellers returning to the UK Dr Philip Veal Chikungunya mainly occurs in Africa and southern Asia, although cases have been reported in Europe and parts of North America. This year, there have been outbreaks in the Americas and Asia, with surges on the Indian Ocean islands of Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius. More than 10,000 people have also been struck down in China since June 2025. The majority of cases have been reported in Foshan, a city in the southern Guangdong province, where officials have since rolled out Covid-style lockdowns and been spraying insecticides in a desperate bid to stop the virus from spiralling out of control. At least 12 other cities in the southern Guangdong province have also reported infections, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since early 2025, there have been 240,000 cases and 90 deaths reported in 16 countries, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 18 A patient with joint deformities after contracting chikungunya Credit: SehatHub 18 A doctor treats a chikungunya patient on Reunion island Credit: AFP 18 A staff member carries out mosquito eradication work in Changsha, China, in August 2025 Credit: Getty 18 A worker sprays insecticide at a residential community in Foshan, China Credit: Getty Two chikungunya vaccines are approved for use in the UK and are available to buy after an assessment at a private travel clinic. Travellers can stay safe by using insect repellent and covering their skin, especially at dawn and dusk. 'ESSENTIAL' PRECAUTIONS Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said: "Chikungunya can be a nasty disease and we're seeing a worrying increase in cases among travellers returning to the UK. "While this mosquito-borne infection is rarely fatal, it can cause severe joint and muscle pain, headaches, sensitivity to light and skin rashes. "Thankfully symptoms usually improve within a few weeks, but joint pain may last for months or longer. "It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling. "Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk." 18 The UKHSA has also detected the first cases of oropouche in travellers coming to the UK from Brazil. The flu-like illness can cause a fever, headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, chills, nausea and vomiting. In serious cases, it can cause brain-swelling, specifically in the form of encephalitis and meningitis. Officials are urging anyone who becomes unwell after travel to affected areas, including parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean, to seek urgent medical advice. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), before late 2023, oropouche was mostly reported near the Amazon rainforest area. It was dubbed 'sloth fever' as it circulates between primates, sloths and birds before occasionally being passed to humans by midges and mosquitoes. In 2024, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Peru and the Dominican Republic reported locally transmitted cases of the disease. Travel-related cases are now cropping up across Europe. 18 Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems biology and director of the UCL Genetics Institute, specialising in infectious diseases, said: "There seems to have been a marked increase of both chikungunya and oropouche cases in the parts of the world where they're endemic. "It is obviously a problem as both are unpleasant viruses. "Neither could circulate in the UK as their vectors are absent, but travellers are being infected overseas and returning home. "The number of cases in the UK could go up or down in the future." 18 Insecticide fog in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to try to combat rising chikungunya cases Credit: AFP 18 Patients with chikungunya being treated in Reunion Credit: AFP 18 Insecticide being poured into a drone amid a city-wide clean-up in Guangzhou, China Credit: Getty 18 A woman covers her face from insecticide fog amid a chikungunya outbreak in Colombo, Sri Lanka Credit: AFP The first imported cases of oropouche were reported in Europe in June and July 2024. There were 12 in Spain, five in Italy and two in Germany. All had a history of travel to Cuba or Brazil. Direct human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been documented so far, according to the ECDC. The prognosis for recovery is good and "fatal outcomes are extremely rare". There are no vaccines to prevent or specific medication to treat oropouche. The UKHSA report also shows a rise in travel-associated cholera cases in the UK, with eight cases in the first half of the year compared to just one in 2024. Most cases were linked with travel to India and Ethiopia. There was also a 67 per cent decrease in the number of dengue cases reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from January to June, and there were just four cases of zika virus during the period, down from nine in 2024. Oropouche virus: Everything you need to know Oropouche is a disease caused by Oropouche virus. It is spread through the bites of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes. Symptoms ARE similar to dengue and include: a headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light. Severe cases may result in brain diseases such as meningitis. Symptoms typically start four to eight days after being bitten and last three to six days. Most people recover without long-term effects. There are no specific medications or vaccines available. Travellers heading to affected areas should take steps to avoid bug bites. The virus is endemic in many South American countries, in both rural and urban communities. Outbreaks are periodically reported in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. Wear tops with long sleeves and long trousers, apply insect repellent regularly, and sleep under a mosquito net if you are not in enclosed, air-conditioned accommodation. Source: US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 18 A laboratory technician doing screening tests during the chikungunya epidemic in Reunion Credit: AFP 18 A health worker fumigates against disease-carrying mosquitoes in Contagem, Brazil Credit: AFP 18 France's President Emmanuel Macron visiting French military fighting against chikungunya in Reunion Credit: AFP 18 More fumigation efforts in Contagem, Brazil Credit: AFP
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
When the trip of a lifetime ends in a medical emergency. From bleeding eyes following a mosquito bite to the stomach bug that has lasted three years - these holidaymakers tell their cautionary stories
The idea of a holiday in a far-flung corner of the world sounds appealing but it can come with risks and for some unlucky travellers that means the experience of developing a tropical disease. Just this week, for example, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned cases of the mosquito-borne infection, chikungunya, which causes fever and joint pain – and can in some cases be fatal – had more than doubled between January and June compared with the previous year in people coming back from Indian Ocean holidays.
