A new report from CenterWatch, a Boston-based newsletter covering the clinical trials industry, predicts that by 2005 there will not be enough clinical investigators to handle the growing number of drugs in clinical trials. Published in the April issue of the CenterWatch newsletter, the report estimates that there may be as much as a 15% investigator shortfall for industry-sponsored research studies. This shortage will be one of several factors that will challenge pharmaceutical industry productivity in the coming decade.

"Our research and analysis is a wake-up call for research professionals and the investment community," said Steve Zisson, managing editor of CenterWatch. "Advances from discovery technologies, such as pharmacogenomics and combinatorial chemistry, are rapidly increasing the rate of growth in drug pipelines. Given the current infrastructure of clinical trial investigators in the US, sponsors will face a major bottleneck due to difficulties finding trained professional to conduct their clinical trials in the future. This in turn may limit the number of new medical therapies that will enter the marketplace."

The CenterWatch report includes detailed demographics of today's principal investigators. A summary of preliminary strategies being pursued by industry professionals to address this pending shortfall is also presented.

For more information, contact Steve Zisson at 617-856-5950 or call 617-856-5943 to order a copy of this report. To order an annual subscription to the CenterWatch Newsletter, visit centerwatch.com or call 800-765-9647.

About CenterWatch
CenterWatch offers a variety of publications and services for clinical research and health professionals, patients and health consumers. CenterWatch is a subsidiary of the Medical Economics Company.