Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences

New Delhi: Roche Pharma India has announced the completion of the first phase of its Advanced Inclusive Research (AIR) Site Alliance initiative in the country. The program partnered with 10 leading government hospitals and trained nearly 400 professionals, including investigators, ethics committee members, and support staff, to meet global Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards. According to the company, the initiative aligns with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization’s (CDSCO) priority of expanding the participation of government sites in Phase 3 and 4 clinical trials. It also supports the Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation Policy (PRIP), which promotes industry, academia partnerships to strengthen R&D capabilities, build trial infrastructure, and enhance India’s global competitiveness in clinical research. The 10 participating sites include AIIMS (Rishikesh), Safdarjung Hospital (New Delhi), PGIMS (Rohtak), Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Center (Muzaffarpur), Balco Medical Centre (Raipur), Government Medical College (Aurangabad), Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (Bengaluru), Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (Guwahati), Kalyan Singh Super Speciality Cancer Institute & Hospital (Lucknow), and Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer (Cuttack). India accounts for 17 per cent of the world’s population and 20 per cent of the global disease burden, yet fewer than 4 per cent of global clinical trials are conducted in the country. This underrepresentation, the release noted, often means Indian patients wait years after global approvals to access breakthrough therapies. Launched in 2023, the initiative has focused on streamlining processes, building digital readiness for improved data capture and monitoring, and providing tailored training to enhance operational efficiency. This milestone is seen as a step toward enabling faster patient access to innovative treatments while improving representation of India’s diverse population in global research. Speaking on the milestone, Dr. Sivabalan Sivanesan, Country Medical Director, Roche Pharma India, said: “By equipping leading government hospitals with global-standard clinical trial capabilities, we are helping to bring innovations faster to India. This is a crucial step toward building equitable healthcare and shaping treatments that are relevant for India.” Dr. Amit Sehrawat, Associate Professor, Medical Oncology & Hematology, AIIMS Rishikesh, said: “This initiative is a strong example of how public–private partnerships can accelerate capacity-building and strengthen India’s clinical research ecosystem. India carries a significant burden of cancer, infectious, and chronic diseases, yet has historically been underrepresented in global trials. By enabling government hospitals to participate in cutting-edge research, this program ensures Indian patients are part of the evidence-generation process , helping make treatments safer, more effective, and more relevant for our population.” Dr. Vyunkta Raju K. N., Professor, Department of Paediatric Neurology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, said: “The AIR Site Alliance program has been transformational. Our investigators and ethics committees are now better equipped to conduct global-standard research. This collaboration has created new opportunities for our institutions to bring advanced research directly to our patients.” By Online Bureau ,