PAREXEL Data Reveal A Record High Number of Clinical Trials...( BOSTON June 23 /- According to ne...),Health

BOSTON, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- According to new data from PAREXEL International Corporation (Nasdaq: PRXL), a leading global biopharmaceutical services organization, the number of new industry-sponsored clinical trial initiations, or starts, surged another 12 percent to a record high in 2007. PAREXEL's analysis shows that the biopharmaceutical industry submitted 662 commercial Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in support of new clinical studies for drugs in 2007, up from the previous record of 593 in 2006.

"The number of commercial IND submissions is a key measure of the number of clinical studies that are initiated by biopharmaceutical companies. IND submissions have been steadily increasing from 2004 to 2007, from 542 to 662 submissions, representing a 22 percent increase over this three year time period," said Mark Mathieu, Director of Publications at PAREXEL and Editor of PAREXEL's Bio/Pharmaceutical R&D Statistical Sourcebook, 2008/2009.

Mr. Mathieu observed, "There has been a less consistent year-over-year pattern for commercial IND submissions of therapeutic biological products as compared with IND submissions related to drug products. PAREXEL data show that 83 commercial INDs were submitted for therapeutic biological products in 2007, which was down 27 percent from 114 submitted in 2006. The 114 INDs submitted in 2006 however, represented a 67 percent increase over submissions in 2005."

Oncology Studies Represent Largest Percentage of New Clinical Studies

According to PAREXEL data, new clinical studies of oncology drugs, which rose another 13 percent in 2007, comprised the largest percentage among all therapeutic areas for new clinical trial starts in 2007-nearly 15 percent of the t
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