Expert group calls for more commitment to African clinical trial coordination

An expert group, asked by the European Commission to review the only research program so far established to combine European Union and national funds, has said that any future programs need a much stronger up-front commitment from EU member states.

The group, chaired by former Member of the European Parliament Wim Van Velzen, was asked to look at the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), a common research program designed to pool resources from the EU research budget and national research programs for clinical trials in the area of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and to make recommendations for improving EDCTP and for future projects. A number of recommendations are addressed to the management of the EDCTP program and its "owners" among the member states. Further recommendations are addressed to the Commission, to be borne in mind when future such "Article 169" proposals for the coordination of national and European research programs are prepared.

Political commitment required