China has overtaken India in an important measure of drug research activity. In an analysis done by the Financial Times, China now has 274 registered clinical trials underway, compared to 260 in India. Until recently, India had been in the lead. China's lead is likely to grow, as Novartis makes good on its plan to shift trials away from India in light of its recent setback in a key patent ruling. Roadblocks continue to pose a problem in China, of course, as regulators continue to be slow in releasing tissue samples for analysis at foreign laboratories, IP questions remain and the regulatory environment remains mired in controversy over corruption scandals. On the other hand, low costs and a ready access to patient populations as well as a plentiful supply of researchers makes China the up-and-coming country in clinical research.
- read the Financial Times report
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