Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are performed to know the potential impact of any new drug or medical device. It’s part of clinical research aimed at evaluating a medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention. With clinical trials, researchers try to find out whether the treatment method to be used in near future on humans will be effective or not. They also check the harmful effect of the same through different rounds of clinical trials. Drugs are not to be used till scientists/ researchers provide a green signal pertaining to their efficacy and safety. Clinical trials include different phases such as testing a treatment, finding the appropriate dosage, and looking for their side effects.

In recent years, India has emerged as a preferred destination for clinical trial and research due to the easy availability of a skilled workforce and cost advantage factor. As per analysts, post-COVID-19, clinical trials, and research will grow at an exponential rate. With the healthcare and pharma sector growing as never before, clinical trials provide a great career scope and employment opportunity to students. There is a range of undergraduate and postgraduate level courses available in this field that train professionals to cater to the growing industry of clinical trial and research. 

Clinical Trial Courses in India

Clinical trial courses are offered as part of clinical research in most colleges and universities. Candidates can refer to the table given below for different clinical trial courses and its duration.

Clinical Trial Courses Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria are different for different courses in clinical trials and research. Candidates need to fulfill the below-given eligibility requirements for seeking admission to different clinical trial courses.

Prominent Institutes Offering Courses in Clinical Trials and Research

There are many institutes that offer comprehensive courses in clinical trial and research. The name of some of the institutes are as follows:

• Indian Institute of Clinical Research, Mumbai

• Asian Institutes of Health Sciences, Mumbai

• Apeejay Institute of Health Sciences, Mumbai

• Saveetha University, Gurgaon

• ICBIO Clinical Research, Bangalore

• NIMS University, Jaipur

Clinical Trials: Course Curriculum

Various courses of clinical trials basically cover different aspects of drugs, clinical data analysis, and research. The overall course curriculum of clinical trial and research is as follows:

• Introduction to clinical research

• New drug development guidelines for clinical trials

• Molecular clinical research

• Ethics in clinical research

• Biostatistics and clinical trial designs

• Forensic clinical research

• Quality in clinical trials

• Guidelines for clinical trials

• Regulations in clinical research

• Clinical trial management

• Drug safety

• Pharmacovigilance

Clinical Trials: Scope and Employment

One can understand the career opportunity in the clinical trial field following COVID-19 vaccine which was developed recently after a series of clinical trials. Clinical trials and research play a key role in predicting new treatment methods which ultimately save millions of human lives. With non-communicable and communicable diseases affecting more and more people worldwide, the role of clinical trials and research is increasing day by day. There is a huge demand for such professionals who will innovate new drugs and safe treatment mechanisms for the masses. Some of the key employment areas in clinical trial and research are as follows:

• Clinical CROs (Contract Research Organizations)

• Pharmaceutical Industries

• Medical Device Companies

• Auditing of Clinical Trials

• Clinical Data Management

• Medical Writing

• Pharmacovigilance

• Central Labs

• Regulatory Agencies

• IT companies in Healthcare / Clinical Domain

• Hospitals

• Government agencies like the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

 Clinical Trials: Career Opportunities

Clinical trials and research encompass many aspects and require many professionals at different stages. Candidates with a research bent of mind have a bright career prospect in clinical trials. Various career opportunities in the clinical trial field have been listed below:

• Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA)
• Clinical Research Associate (CRA)
• Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC)
• Clinical Research Scientist
• Biostatistician
• Clinical Safety Analyst
• Project Manager
• Manager Medical & Regulatory
• Manager Quality Assurance
• Director / Head (Clinical Operations)

Clinical Trials: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What are clinical trials?

Q. Why are clinical trials important?

Q. What kind of courses are available in clinical trials?

Q. What is the eligibility for undergraduate courses in clinical research?

Q. What are the names of some colleges/institutes offering courses related to clinical trials?

Q. What are the career opportunities in the clinical trial field?

Q. Can a student of commerce background pursue B.Sc in clinical trial?

Q. What are the employment areas for graduates in clinical trials?