Singapore, Feb 05, 2010: Kendle, a global clinical research organization, has received approval from Indian authorities to proceed with the development of a new operations center in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the upcoming Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Knowledge Corridor in the Indian state of Gujarat.

According to the company, the new SEZ center represents an important and strategic investment for Kendle and demonstrates its commitment to further invest in Asia Pacific to meet customer needs. The new unit is expected to be operational by mid April 2010.

"Continued expansion throughout the Asia Pacific region is crucial to the future growth of Kendle," said Dr Stephen Cutler, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Our increased capacity in the region will allow us to better meet the growing demands of our customers who are seeking to capitalize on India's rapidly expanding high-quality biopharmaceutical capabilities. The new SEZ operations center will be ideally suited to deliver best-in-class services to our customers seeking high-quality, innovative and cost-effective solutions for their clinical development needs."

The company release noted that the SEZ operations center will be a high-end, world-class center of excellence focusing on quality delivery of clinical data management, medical writing, pharmacovigilance/safety, biostatistics/programing and other knowledge processing-related services. These clinical support services will be integrated under one roof, providing an efficient operations hub for the region.

Kendle's SEZ operations center initially will house approximately 50 associates and is expected to scale up to approximately 300 associates in the near term. The unit is positioned to further expand very quickly if necessary to meet customer demand. The unique geography of the unit, in close proximity to multiple universities as well as the modern city of Ahmedabad, provides a vast untapped talent pool ideal for building and expanding a high-tech workforce.

Kendle's expansion in the quickly maturing Indian market reflects the growing importance of the country to the global clinical research market. With more than one billion people, a growing and improving research infrastructure, an efficient and evolving regulatory setting, favorable intellectual property laws, a large pool of medical professionals and established research credentials, India is quickly becoming a world power in clinical research.

By 2012, analysts project that more than 65 percent of all FDA-regulated trials will take place outside the United States. This is reflected in the Indian biotechnology market, which is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 30 percent, and the Indian CRO market, which is expected to see growth of 49 percent annually.