CRO

Chiltern finds clinical opportunities in Taiwan

Chiltern, an international contract research organization with a presence in over 40 countries, has been on the lookout for a new place to expand its reach. This month, its crosshairs landed on the island nation of Taiwan, where it's set up shop to conduct clinical trial services.

It comes as no surprise that Asia is a rising continent for contract research and manufacturing, but when it comes down to pinpointing exact countries, India and China may be the first ones to come to mind. Chiltern already has a strong presence in India, Singapore and Australia, but its decision to turn to Taiwan comes down to the nation's strong infrastructure and healthcare system, as Chiltern senior executive vice president for global clinical development Aize Smink detailed in a press release.

"We are very pleased to be able to start offering clinical research services in Taiwan as part of our global clinical development capabilities," he stated. "Taiwan has an excellent medical infrastructure, high-quality investigators and research staff to serve our global client base."

As a PricewaterhouseCoopers' survey from 2009 showed, Taiwan was ranked fourth for pharma outsourcing in Asia, behind China, India and Korea. It may not be enough for a gold, silver or bronze medal in any event, but the Taiwanese government is a strong supporter of outsourcing and contract research by presenting opportunities to attract entities--both foreign and domestic--through perks like tax incentives and an efficient, streamlining drug-approval process.

- read the Chiltern release

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