India is No 2 low-cost clinical trial center

India is the second most attractive country in the world for siting low-cost clinical trials, according to a study by US consulting firm AT Kearney, commissioned by the US government. The cost of running a clinical trial in China is half that for the USA, making the east Asian country the most attractive. Russia came third in the 15 "offshore" nations list for US drugmakers, with Brazil heading the South American region and the Czech Republic topping the European Union.

The report, titled: Make Your Move: Taking Clinical Trials to the Best Location, states that, "what may be a surprise is that China, despite its bureaucracy, government red tape and questions over intellectual property, has stolen the top spot from India, which is seemingly more active in this arena and more in tune to the needs of the west."

The AT Kearney report also found that off-shore locations were used for about half of the 1,200 clinical trials being conducted by the top 12 US drugmakers. The criteria for evaluating a country's attractiveness were: patient availability; cost-efficiency; expertise; regulatory conditions; and infrastructure.