Some 61 percent of the state's industry-sponsored clinical trials are being conducted in Birmingham, home to UAB, according to a report that hails the quantity and the cutting-edge nature of the work.
The report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America was unveiled during a news conference Wednesday at Innovation Depot, UAB's high-tech business incubator.
“Alabama is a leader in medical research, and that supports economic development while also improving lives,” said Governor Robert Bentley. "In 2011, biopharmaceutical research companies in the state generated about $3.2 billion in economic activity and supported nearly 17,000 jobs.”
More than 40 percent of the 3,400-plus clinical trials of new medicines conducted with the state’s research institutions have targeted the most debilitating chronic diseases — cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, asthma and mental illnesses, the report says. More than 230 of those chronic disease trials are recruiting patients, including 123 trials for cancer and 37 for heart disease. Learn more about participating in clinical trials at UAB online.
David Winwood, Ph.D., executive director of UAB's Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, noted that “Alabama is home to a vibrant and growing biotechnology industry that is ... successfully contributing to solutions that meet unmet medical needs on a global basis while at the same time serving as a strong catalyst for Alabama’s economy.”
Download a PDF of the report “Research in Your Backyard: Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials in Alabama.”
