The Institute of Clinical Research (ICR) announces the appointment of its first country manager for India following a successful fact-finding trip in November 2006
Shamiq Hussain has been appointed to work in partnership with local professional bodies and organisations to establish ICR as the leading organisation for clinical research professionals in India.
He joins the ICR with a background in both corporate pharmaceutical and clinical research industries having previously worked at SmithKline Beecham, ClinTec International and a number of CROs.
The appointment of the ICR's first India manager is a result of a visit by chief executive John Hooper and corporate development manager Alan Needham late last year.
During the trip to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, the team saw more than a dozen clinical research companies and established the foundations for future work.
Hooper commented: "We developed some excellent relationships with many and varied contacts in India during our visit and are now working to turn these into new training opportunities for our members.
"The appointment of Shamiq is truly positive news for the ICR in India.
"He's already started meeting with target companies and imparting the ICR's vision to raise standards, share knowledge and develop professionals in clinical research".
India is a major focus of attention for the ICR during 2007 and this is reflected in the speech due to be made by Ian Smith from Synexus Clinical Research at the ICR's Annual Spring Conference in Birmingham on 27 and 28 March.
Smith, who collected the ICR's award for outstanding achievement at the conference last year, will be talking about the challenges involved in selecting investigator hub sites in India, its advantages in terms of patient recruitment and the cost advantages compared to western Europe and the USA.
