A call to strengthen clinical trials capacity in resource-limited settings

Le résumé fourni par la source

Clinical research is sine qua non for understanding and solving public health challenges.1 Clinical trials are central to advancing scientific knowledge and can have an impact on many areas (but not limited to) new drug development, understanding mechanisms and the identification of biomarkers, which all impact on healthcare and thereby contribute to global and local economies.2 Approximately 83% of clinical trials have been conducted in 25 high-income countries; comparatively, less than 5% took place in 91 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).3 Africa accounts for 18% of the world’s population and bears 20% of the global disease burden, yet less than 3% of clinical trials are conducted on the continent.4 Similarly, a disproportionately low number of clinical trials involve participants living in Caribbean nations. During the period January 2007–December 2013, only 10.4% of clinical trials registered on the WHO International Clinical Trial Registry Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean took place in the Caribbean.5 Despite the increasing burden of cancer in LMICs, few clinical trials evaluating cancer therapies were conducted in LMICs during the period 2014–2017.6 Furthermore, the majority of trials in LMICs are funded by international donors or industry partners rather than by local governments and institutions. This highlights the urgent need for advocacy for sustainable, well-designed and well-executed clinical trials that address health priorities in resource-limited settings.7

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.