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Oxford University Press, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, 6(114), p. 357-358, 2021

DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcab010

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Why Is There A Paucity Of Clinical Trials In Africa?

Journal article published in 2021 by Simon D. Taylor-Robinson ORCID, C. Wendy Spearman, Ahmed A. A. Suliman
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Summary Disproportionately few clinical trials are undertaken on the African continent, in part due to lingering neocolonial attitudes in the Global North which keep research activity primarily in developing countries, while being skeptical of the abilities of those in the Global South to undertake organized clinical studies. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicable research and clinical trials should be undertaken in relevant populations in order to extrapolate to a population level. This is all the more important in Africa, which has a rich genetic diversity. We suggest that a lack of organized research ethics committees across the continent and a deficiency of appropriate training are responsible in part for the reluctance of clinical trial organizers in the developed countries of the Global North to engage with medical leadership in Africa. We consider ways of alleviating this problem, including suggesting a pan-continental surveillance of ethics committee agendas and of training, either through the auspices of the African Union or the World Health Organization. In addition, medical leadership in African nations must be encouraged to take ownership of their medical ethics agendas to facilitate decent international clinical trial participation for the good of the continent as a whole.