The cost advantage is luring many pharma companies to prefer India as the destination for contract research and clinical trials to the developed markets, according to a study.

Genentech, Inc. announced today that an international Phase III study demonstrated that oral Xeloda® plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) is superior to a commonly used intravenous chemotherapy, 5-FU/LV (infused 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin), in increasing the time people with adjuvant colon cancer lived without their cancer returning when given immediately after surgery.

With the goal of making treatment of tuberculosis more affordable to the common man, some major pharma companies in the country with the support of the government machinery, have commenced clinical trials of as many as seven TB drug candidates according to Union health ministry.

India is fast turning into a global hub of cost-effective clinical research outsourcing (CRO), thanks to the adaptation of international regulatory standards. The revenue from this sector is expected to touch $1 billion by 2010. From $70 million pumped in by just a few pharmaceutical companies to India in 2002, the revenue from clinical research outsourcing has leaped to $800 million now, according to industry insiders