By James Addy, Mozambique

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the United States of America has lauded work done so far by African scientists in building local capacity in the conduct of clinical trials  that meet international  standards.

Professor Jessica Milman of the Gates Foundation told the site leaders here in the Mozambican capital that “we want to celebrate your accomplishment in the terms of the building of the necessary scientific research capacity which we find extremely important”.
The Gates Foundation has funded a four-year 16-million-dollar malaria clinical trials, currently at their final stages in seven African countries.

The site leaders are attending a two-day annual general meeting of the Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA), a project of INDEPTH Network, a health information NGO, bringing together INDEPTH surveillance sites to undertake clinical research by partnering institutions that promote the development of anti-malaria drugs and vaccines.

The Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and the Malaria Medicines Venture (MMV) partnered the INDEPTH Network to form the MCTA.

Professor Milman assured the site leaders that the Gates Foundation was pleased with the provision of infrastructure and equipment at the various clinical sites and was considering how to take the project further in the next phase.

Professor Paulo Garrido, the Mozambican Minister, in a speech read on his behalf urged the private sector to forge partnership with African governments to undertake clinical trials to find the cure to eradicate malaria on the continent.

Dr Jorge Tomo, the Permanent Secretary at the Mozambican Health Ministry who read his speech said Plasmodium falciparum, a species of the malaria parasite, was responsible for about 90 per cent of malaria infections in the country.

He said malaria also constitutes 60 per cent of hospital admission in Mozambique and praised the MCTA for providing infrastructure, equipment, and capacity building to strengthen the Manhica Research Centre/Foundation to undertake malaria research.

Professor Fred Binka, Dean of School of Public Health, University of Ghana and Project Manager of MCTA, said the project has enabled African scientists to demonstrate to product developers that they could undertake clinical trials sometimes better than foreign commercial clinical research organisation.

He said in the past, product developers went to commercial entities to test the drugs but not a direct link is being established between the African surveillance sites and the product developers.

Professor Binka said as a result of those collaborations, more African scientists are being trained, infrastructure is being trained, infrastructure is being developed and more drugs are being tested in Africa with positive outcomes.

Under the phase three clinical trials, 16,000 children are being vaccinated with the RTS S, candidate malaria vaccine which has been found to be safe in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Malawi.

Professor Binka that hoped the meeting would provide the platform for its leaders to exchange vital research information and to document lessons and challenges in their work.

Dr Pascoal Mucumbi, the chairman of the MCTA Board, said he feels proud that African had been able to develop new research technologies to meet global challenges.

He hoped that health research on the continent would be sustained to ensure a better quality of life for the people.

Dr Seth Owusu-Agyei, Director of the Kintampo Health Research Centre and Chairman of the Board of INDEPTH Network, said the second phase of the project might go beyond malaria to include other equally deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.

That, he said, would be done after INDEPTH Network had met the funding agencies to find out their interests within the development of its people.