Clinical research careers

The time is ripeWith pharmaceutical companies outsourcing drug testing, jobs in clinical research are growing fast.
Mike Mortimer
If you are considering a career in clinical research, your timing could not be better. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly opting to outsource clinical testing of potential new drugs. This shift is fuelling massive growth among the contract research organizations (CROs) engaged in doing the work — a trend that seems likely to continue for some time.Pharmaceutical companies are under increasing pressure to develop blockbuster drugs quickly and at the lowest possible cost, while fending off challenges from manufacturers producing generic versions of drugs that have come off patent.
Clinical studies typically account for nearly half of the billion-dollar cost of developing a drug, so companies are now tending to engage CROs to run the trials in order to maximize investment by reducing the time required to develop and bring a new drug to market.
If you are considering a career in clinical research, your timing could not be better.
A 2006 Goldman Sachs report concluded that the CRO industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 13% through to 2010, while biotech and pharma spending on drug development is expected to grow at an annual rate of only 11.1% for the same period — suggesting that the role of CROs is expanding in size and importance.This is leading to a growing backlog of trials among some CROs, which translates into a need for more staff.
The CRO industry is clearly growing, as are the associated careers opportunities. For those with the right educational background, and a willingness to take on cutting-edge clinical science and to learn managerial skills, an engaging and stimulating career awaits.
For those with the right educational background, and a willingness to take on cutting-edge clinical science and to learn managerial skills, an engaging and stimulating career awaits.
Mike Mortimer is executive vice-president of global human resources at Quintiles Transnational in Durham, North Carolina.
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