The glacial pace in which clinical trials are often rolled out on the African continent is a perennial problem — with protocols and regulatory approvals barricading the race to a vaccine or drug. By the time trials commence, an outbreak might have already started winding down, which hinders the opportunity for data-gathering during an active outbreak.
The African continent carries a quarter of the global disease burden but accounts for less than 3% of clinical trials.
Some public health experts are galvanizing to turn this around. This includes a new initiative launched in December, called PANTHER, which is a pan-African platform for emergency research and preparedness. Their researchers hope to prepare about 80% of the groundwork for trialsbefore an outbreak — with the remaining work to include adapting trials to local contexts and the characteristics of the disease.