1. Breaking the barriers for conducting clinical trials in Africa: A need for higher commitment and collaborations.
- Author
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Yilma, Daniel
- Subjects
- *
CLINICAL trials , *BUSINESS planning - Abstract
This article discusses the barriers to conducting clinical trials in Africa and the need for higher commitment and collaborations to overcome these challenges. Clinical trials are crucial for the development of drugs, vaccines, and devices, and it is important to have diverse and adequate representation of various populations in these trials. However, Africa is underrepresented in clinical trials, with less than 3% of trials conducted on the continent. The article highlights reasons for this, such as the scarcity of clinical trial units, limited trained investigators and staff, and the lack of organized research ethics committees and regulatory bodies. While there have been some initiatives to address these challenges, they have been slow in implementation or insufficient. The article calls for strong commitment and concrete actions from organizations like the World Health Organization and the African Union to strengthen clinical trial capacity and local pharmaceutical production in Africa. It also emphasizes the need for governments and health leadership in each African country to double their commitment and develop investment plans to strengthen and expand pharmaceutical industries and clinical research infrastructure. Collaboration and working together with all stakeholders are essential to achieve these goals and ensure health equity. [Extracted from the article]
- Published
- 2024
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