According to a report by Allied Market Research, the global nephrology drugs market is projected to become worth $23.405 million by 2030. US FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMEA) are moving towards mandating that any new approval shall need a certain percentage of diversity to allow the drug for patient use. This development paired with lower costs of conducting clinical trials for sponsors makes India a desirable location for research.
Interventions and diagnostics that are to be marketed in India will need bridge trials for Indian population. Additionally, the Make-in-India initiative for devices and drugs will drive R&D requiring indigenous drug development in India. Clients in this sector expect a strong medical practice with strong patient numbers, specialized and experienced staff in conducting clinical research, and experts in Nephrology who are KOLs and teachers to others in the field of Nephrology.
Renown Clinical Services (RCS) is a Nephrology group specializing in the management of patients with kidney diseases. Founded in 2015, it has grown from two nephrologists to a group of nephrologists, research coordinators, dialysis managers, dialysis technicians and nurses.
RCS is a group of 20 doctors, and therefore having a large patient base. Its nephrologists are leading KOLs in their specializations. Additionally, RCS has started a research network vertical - Renown Re¬search Network (RRN) in 2018. Renown Research Network’s main aim is to bring together a network of doctors and hospitals from different parts of India to be part of the clinical trials conducted by RCS. RCS has also appointed a full time nephrologist Dr. Vibhu Dhawan as the Director of Clinical Research, and a Ph.D. clinical research pharmacist Dr. Venu Challam as the Research Coordinator.
Dr. Rajasekara Chakravarthi, Director
year RCS organizes the premier AKI & CRRT meeting in India which attracts top practitioners from all over the world. “Our mission is to be a leader in patient experience, clinical outcomes, research and education. Our priority and commitment to patients is to deliver personalized, compassionate, accessible, high quality, cost effective healthcare in a comfortable and convenient setting. We devote ourselves to continuous improvement, excellence, professionalism and innovation in our work”, mentions Dr. Rajasekara Chakravarthi, Director, Renown Clinical Services.
The Growth Story
The company was started with two Nephrologists and one partner hospital in 2015. Today, it has 15 Nephrologists covering 10 partner hospitals, 6 Stand-alone Dialysis centres and four Kidney clinics across Telangana. On an average, the group performs a combined total of 10000 IP and OP dialysis sessions including 500 ICU Dialysis sessions, 1500 Out- Patient consults, 5 Kidney transplants and 10 CRRT sessions in a month. RCS has a follow-up pool of 2000 hemodialysis patients, 75 peritoneal dialysis patients and 500 transplant patients.
RCS has been organizing prestigious National and International Conferences every year since 2016. The 18th ADQI was organised by RCS in Hyderabad in September 2016, for the first time in Asia. Since 2016, the Indian chapter of ‘The International Conference on AKI & CRRT, San Diego, California’ has been organised by RCS every year in Hyderabad as ‘Annual Selections from AKI & CRRT, San Diego’. The conference is now in its 6th year in 2022.
"RCS believes in clinical excellence and improved patient care through Research and Innovation. In 2018, RCS started its Clinical Research Network – Renown Research Network (RRN), to provide support for medical research in clinical settings. RRN partners with Doctors and Hospitals across India to carry out Medical Research and Innovation. It already has a couple of international clinical trials underway and many more trials in the pipeline", shares Dr. Girish Kumthekar, Principal Investigator of Research. RCS has been contributing to the International disease registries. RRN has also published papers, from Consensus conferences like 18th ADQI, in reputed International Journals like KI. “We are on a mission to make nephrology care more effective and bring new treatment options for our patients. Our doctors are pioneers in renal transplantation, acute care nephrology and modern dialysis techniques including CRRT”, states Dr. Vibhu Dhawan, Director-Clinical Research.
Dr. Girish Kumthekar, Principal Investigator-Research
Specialized Research
Acute Kidney Injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in ICUs. RCS specializes in research in this niche area. One of their research interests is CRRT, which is a slower type of dialysis that puts less stress on the heart. These treatments aim at restoring the body’s internal milieu by eliminating the blood of excess waste products and molecules, restoring balance of electrolytes, acid/base and fluid. Their medical facilities are equipped with the most advanced dialysis machines for hemodialysis, which may not be available in less specialized centres.
RRN (Renown Research Network) aims to develop new and improved diagnostic tools, medications, treatment protocols and more. Research activities include the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials. RRN partners with doctors and hospitals across India to carry out medical research and innovation. It has a team of Principal Investigators, Clinical Research Associates, study coordinators, data managers and statisticians. Prior to any study RRN takes up a baseline demographic study, in which it assesses the suitability of a site. Currently RRN has many open multicenter clinical trials, primarily in the areas of Nephrology, Cardiology and Critical Care.
Dr. Rahul Patibandla, Director
Standing Apart
One of RCS clients is launching a novel urine test that could change the practice of how the world treats AKI. The client required 10 sites for its study. RCS identified 12 sites, coordinated between them, compiled data from all sites and applied for approvals at their respective centers. Based on these, 10 sites were successfully granted approval and the study commenced in a timely manner.
“The group has grown to offer patient services from hospitals to out-patient clinics and from labs to dialysis centers. We have partnered with many major hospitals and dialysis service providers across Hyderabad, and have advanced kidney care to the high level of what it is today”, mentions Dr. Rahul Patibandla, Director.
Importantly, all the RCS nephrologists are passionate about improving care for their patients and feel strongly about eliminating kidney disease. Their care for their patients, dedication to their craft and eagerness to learn is what sets RCS apart from other companies in the field of nephrology.
Future Endeavours
Clinical trials market in India will grow exponentially over the next decade. India's population and its diversity, cost efficiency of doing the trials will be the key factors driving the market. COVID-19 pandemic has further given a boost to the clinical trials market in India. “We see RCS being at the forefront of this upswing in the clinical trials market. We are very well placed with a strong patient base, dedicated and experienced medical research team and a vast network of partner hospitals across India. Our aim is to be a leader in medical research and innovation”, concludes Dr. Rajasekara Chakravarthi.
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