Dispatches from PCT Europe

Future epidemic trials must cut through red tape, says Ebola researcher

By Dan Stanton

- Last updated on GMT

Ebola researcher: Future epidemic trials must cut through red tape

Related tags Clinical trials Epidemiology

A professor who conducted fast-track trials during last year’s Ebola outbreak says next time such trials must be part of humanitarian response… because there will be a next time.

During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa last year, a £3.2m ($4.9m) Wellcome Trust grant was used to conduct fast-tracked studies of investigational treatments in what were the first ever clinical trials done during a disease outbreak.

Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Research at Oxford University, was part of the team which designed and carried out the trials, and told delegates at PCT Hamburg Wednesday that among the many problems encountered – leadership challenges, African regulators being overwhelmed, ethical issues, and operational constraints - “the clinical response itself came too late​.”

The outbreak itself officially began in February 2014 and lasted a year, but funding only began in September 2014 and was held up further through contract negotiations and bureaucracy.

For example, some contracts sat with lawyers for six weeks while IT terms were being approved and while this is fairly normal in regular clinical trials, such actions meant the first patient was not studied until January 2, just weeks before the outbreak was declared over.

“This was an impossible challenge as the epidemic was ending​,” Lang said. “We need to plan properly next time for infectious disease outbreaks, because there will be a next time.”

Charitable efforts began almost immediately, she continued, and as such “clinical trials need to be part of the medical humanitarian response, not an add-on.”

Future planning

Having a plan ahead of a future outbreak would also help make such trials more efficient, especially given the unknown timescales, but she said it is very difficult to get funding when there is no present risk of epidemic.

However, such mind-set is slowly changing and there are some pre-planning efforts occurring.

The WHO is currently writing an R&D blueprint​ for potential future outbreaks, giving guidelines on areas such as capturing data and manufacturing, and Lang herself is working on a project to tackle respiratory epidemics ahead of any emergencies.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Using Define-XML to build more efficient studies

Using Define-XML to build more efficient studies

Content provided by Formedix | 14-Nov-2023 | White Paper

It is commonly thought that Define-XML is simply a dataset descriptor: a way to document what datasets look like, including the names and labels of datasets...

Overcoming rapid growth challenges with process liquid preparation

Overcoming rapid growth challenges with process liquid preparation

Content provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific - Process Liquid Preparation Services | 01-Nov-2023 | Case Study

A growing contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) was challenged with the need to quickly expand their process liquid and buffer preparation...

Why should you use clinical trial technology?

Why should you use clinical trial technology?

Content provided by Formedix | 01-Nov-2023 | White Paper

New, innovative clinical trial technology is helping to revolutionize the research landscape. COVID-19 demonstrated that clinical trials can be run much...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars