Emmes, a global, full-service Contract Research Organisation (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, has rapidly expanded its capabilities in India during the last two years. Emmes’ India operations are headquartered in Bengaluru with an additional office in Ahmedabad. The company’s operations in India have seen surging growth with local revenue increasing by 400% and global study revenue increasing by more than 50%.
The CRO forecasts its Indian operations will grow further over the next year, with employee numbers quickly surpassing 200. 60%+ growth has been achieved over the past year with continued high growth planned over the next three years.
Emmes’ presence in India spans some 15 years, and its local team was originally focused on supporting global studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as other academic and research institutes across a broad therapeutic spectrum. However, since 2018, the regional team has expanded quickly, with many more domestic clients, and it now supports full-service clinical trials in Asia and Africa.
The acquisition of Orphan Reach last year – and its India based capabilities – has further empowered the Emmes team in India by increasing the depth, knowledge and experience of rare disease trials in the country.
The ultimate goal for Emmes is not to be the biggest CRO in India, but rather the most scientifically driven, offering a greater depth of clinical and regulatory insight
In addition, the team has strengthened end-to-end services, including monitoring, data management, biostatistics, safety and study startup, with a particular focus on capabilities to get studies up and running quickly and effectively. These enhancements also are providing increased career opportunities for the workforce in India.
“Our teams have worked on a number of global clinical trials in close collaboration with the wider organization and, of course, on several COVID-19 trials. The team’s commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, innovation and the drive to make a public health impact is what sets us apart from other CROs in India working on international projects. However, what is perhaps less known is that we have also seen significant growth from innovators in India and have led numerous clinical trials here."
Exponential growth in the size of the local team and services offered has resulted in enhanced ability to support large Phase III and IV studies. And, in fact, the team in India is currently leading five Phase III trials for global clients.
“The ultimate goal for Emmes is not to be the biggest CRO in India, but rather the most scientifically driven, offering a greater depth of clinical and regulatory insight,” added Ms. Sarda.
Looking ahead to 2023, with its lineage in comparable research and the access to patients locally, the Emmes team in India has identified indigenously developed vaccine trials as a strong growth area, as well as a broad spectrum of trials from international sponsors.