TB Alliance would like to thank the researchers, partners, donors, patients, and communities that made REMox TB possible. We must continue to work together to stop TB.
Empowering local communities
REMox TB was a global clinical trial that, even before its results are known, has made an impact. In particular, the REMox TB trial enabled TB Alliance to establish and widely roll out its Community Engagement (CE) efforts, educating communities about TB research and collaborating with them to foster improved knowledge, input, and involvement in the clinical trials taking place where they live. REMox TB had the first Community Engagement program of its kind for TB drug trials. It has increased the visibility of the need for CE in TB research and helped to drive the field toward inclusion of CE as a best practice and gold standard in TB drug research.
We are proud of our local community partners and all they have been able to achieve. Each clinical trial site with a CE program has deployed specific initiatives developed and driven by the local community in which they are implemented. Their effect, in aggregate, has enhanced the skills and knowledge of people living with and affected by TB — not only surrounding research, but in inspiring others around the world to support and participate in TB R&D, and uptake of new regimens.
Importantly, the true impact of CE must be measured on a community, and individual, level. However, there has been much work to develop monitoring and evaluation tools to measure CE's impact on clinical trials across disease and research areas. This tool, and others — such as a research literacy toolkit and training-of-trainers program — are just some of the outcomes of CE efforts to date.
TB Alliance CE efforts have already been expanded to complement Phase 2 trials, as was the case with the NC-002 trial of the PaMZ regimen. TB Alliance is now working to further enhance the scope of this work and develop a strategy for incorporating community engagement into pediatric studies.
Although REMox TB has been completed, the community and groups involved will continue to play a critical role. Importantly, their role in disseminating the trial results to Community Adivsory Boards and other community stakeholders cannot be underestimated. Additionally, as new regimens come to market, the community support for new regimens in development will be an important aspect in the global advocacy for the rapid and robust adoption and implementation of new and improved TB cures.