Dissonance in regulatory processes and timelines between countries in Africa has been cited as a major deterrent to pursuing research in the area, but times are changing. Initiatives are successfully increasing regulatory harmonization and streamlining marketing authorization across the continent.
With experienced researchers and sites, investment in research infrastructure by local and overseas organizations as well as engaged stakeholders, Africa should be a research destination for pharma, biotech, government and non-governmental organizations alike.
One strategy to reaching endemic status for COVID-19 globally is equitable access to vaccines and therapies. Studies such as the one we're supporting in Ghana will help with this.
Although the diversity of Africa is often cited, the full extent is still not well understood. As we learn more, the true potential of the continent for clinical research to address ongoing public health issues becomes apparent.
The dynamic nature of infectious disease epidemiology requires diligent surveillance to ensure clinical trials of vaccines and treatments can successfully recruit and account for changing seroprevalence and new variants.
In our recent webinar, our panel of esteemed speakers broke stereotypes about Africa, discussed research-related trends and highlighted how clinical trials could benefit from the continent’s strengths.
Meet Daniel Joffe, Senior Clinical Project Manager at FHI Clinical. “It can be a tough job — but it’s the most amazing feeling when things come together, for example, when a site or study is initiated. You look back and see what we accomplished as a team. That's the reward — when you know that all the hard work paid off. That's what keeps me motivated.”
Achieving cultural competency is increasingly important in our global community, especially to reach the populations who would most benefit from research. In this blog post, we discuss this importance as well as examples of successful community engagement.
Several FHI Clinical team members attended the 6th Annual Global Forum on TB Vaccines. Based on their conversations and session attendance, they provide their thoughts on the future of tuberculosis prevention and vaccine development.
As researchers, we rely on the willingness of people to participate in our studies, and participant recruitment and retention continue to be one of the biggest challenges. There are numerous reasons for this, some that we can address and others that we might just have to accept.
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