• Phase 1 – Trials : This is the first time the new drug is administered to a small number, around 20-80 healthy, informed volunteers under the close supervision of a doctor. The purpose is to determine whether the new compound is tolerated by the patient’s body & behaves in the predicted way.
• Phase 2 – Trials : In this phase, the medicine is administered to a group of approximately 100-300 informed patients to determine its effect & also to check for any unacceptable side effects.
• Phase 3 – Trials : In this phase, the group is between 1000 & 5000, for company to use statistics to analyze the results. If the results are favorable, the data is presented to the licensing authorities for a commercial license.
• Phase 4 – Trials : This is a surveillance operation phase after the medicine is made available to doctors, who start prescribing it. The effects are monitored on thousands of patients to help identify any unforeseen side effects.

The clinical trials market worldwide is worth over USD 26 billion and the industry has employed an estimated 2,10,000 people in the US & over 70,000 in the UK, and that form one-third of the total research and development staff.

There are more than 2,50,000 positions vacant globally & salaries vary in the region of approximately USD 40,000 per annum for a Clinical Research Coordinator. A career in Clinical Research offers excellent job opportunities in USA, Europe, Singapore & India.