ICMR had last year called for Expression of Interest (EOI) for participation in the Indian Clinical Trial & Education Network (INTENT)
Amrita Hospital in Kochi has been designated as Advanced Center for Clinical Trials (ACCT) by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
It is among the only three hospitals in South India and the only one from Kerala to be nominated as ACCT by ICMR.
Dr Jaideep Menon, Consultant, Adult Cardiology at Amrita Hospital who will lead the Center said: “It is a matter of great honor and pride for us that we have been selected as an advanced center for clinical trials by ICMR, which is a testimony to our heritage of medical excellence going back more than two decades. The ongoing pandemic has taught us the importance of a strong healthcare system backed by advanced centers where trials of various drugs and vaccines can be successfully conducted. As ICMR-designated Advance Center for Clinical Trials, we look forward to playing a pivotal role in bolstering the country’s healthcare system and reduce the disease burden.”
ICMR had last year called for Expression of Interest (EOI) for participation in the Indian Clinical Trial & Education Network (INTENT), a pan-India network of institutes with proven excellence in clinical research. The network would conduct large-scale, multi-centric clinical trials in a timely and well-regulated manner. Government and private medical colleges and institutes as well as hospitals with experience of conducting randomised controlled trials were invited to be nominated as ACCT. ICMR has now declared a total of 12 hospitals and healthcare institutes from all parts of the country as ACCT.
Research priorities of INTENT include reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, environmental health, health system research, healthcare financing, digital health, occupational health, vulnerable people’s health and oral health.