Working with institutions in Research Triangle Park and throughout North Carolina, U.S. biopharmaceutical research companies have conducted over 6,000 clinical trials of new medicines in the state since 1999, according to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

The report, Research in Your Backyard: Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials in North Carolina, shows over 895 of the state’s clinical trials have targeted debilitating chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, with over 400 of the chronic disease medicine trials still active and recruiting patients throughout North Carolina.

The economic benefits of collaborations with biopharmaceutical companies include the support of the companies for more than 226,000 jobs in North Carolina in 2011, with thousands in the Triangle, according to the most recent data. The companies also supported the generation of $50.3 billion in statewide economic activity.