Most medical research takes place in developed countries, which means they get the medicines much quicker
A woman has her temperature checked by a healthcare worker during a nationwide lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus disease at a mass screening and testing centre, in Harare, Zimbabwe, on April 30 2020. Picture: REUTERS/PHILIMON BULAWAYOrecounts the murder of an activist who knows too much about an unethical medical study being conducted in Kenya by a German company.
There is also an element of “tornado chasing”. You go where the disease is. That is particularly true with vaccines, since scientists cannot establish efficacy in an environment where an illness is not circulating. This is one reason the Oxford university coronavirus vaccine being developed with AstraZeneca is being tested in Brazil and SA, as well as in the UK.
Why should it matter where trials take place? From the perspective of poorer countries, perhaps it is better if medicines, including the Covid-19 vaccine, are tested in rich nations before being rolled out elsewhere. Conducting clinical trials is also a route to medical expertise. Clinical trials are complex affairs, involving strict protocols, meticulous data collection and high-standard medical care. In diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and Aids, many African nations have built up world-class capabilities and networks through conducting clinical trials.
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