Prof. Charles Mgone
Executive Director of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
The enrolment of volunteers in the global REMox TB clinical trial has been completed in January 2012. This is a momentous step forward in a study which aims to establish the efficacy of a possible new drug against tuberculosis in order to reduce treatment time by one third, from six months to four.
The REMox TB clinical trial was conducted in Africa, Asia and Latin America by an international group of researchers and supported by several funders. It demonstrates what can be achieved in global health through partnerships and international collaboration.
In line with the funding strategy of EDCTP to integrate clinical trials and research capacity building, REMox TB also contributed to the capacity of African clinical trial centres in several countries to perform studies to the highest international regulatory standard. It is gratifying to note that in this trial African researchers contributed the majority of patients recruited signifying an increasing African capacity to undertake Good Clinical Practice and Good Clinical Laboratory Practice compliant trials.
On behalf of EDCTP I warmly congratulate Prof. Stephen Gillespie and the REMox TB team with reaching this important milestone.
About EDCTP
The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) was created in 2003 as a European response to the global health crisis caused by the three main poverty-related diseases (PRDs) of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Currently EDCTP is a partnership between 14 European Union member states plus Norway and Switzerland with 47 sub-Saharan African countries. The aim of the programme is to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines and microbicides against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis through promoting the integration of national programmes of EDCTP European Member States and development of a genuine partnership with African counterparts.