title: Tackling the tuberculosis epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa--unique opportunities arising from the second European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) programme 2015-2024.
abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) today remains a global emergency affecting 9.0 million people globally. The African Region bears the highest global TB/HIV burden and over 50% of TB cases in SSA are co-infected with HIV. An estimated 1.5 million died from the TB globally in 2013. A large majority of the 360,000 HIV-positive TB cases who died were from sub-Saharan Africa. Research and development is an important pillar of the WHO post-2015 global TB strategy. Advances in development of diagnostics, drugs, host-directed therapies, and vaccines will require evaluation under field conditions through multi-centre clinical trials at different geographical locations. Thus it is critically important that these evaluations are fully supported by all African governments and the capacity, trained staff and infrastructure required to perform the research and evaluations is built and made available. This viewpoint article reviews the opportunities provided by recently launched second programme (2015-2024) of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP2) for tackling the TB epidemic in Africa through its magnanimous portfolio. The unique opportunities provided by EDCTP2 for leadership of scientific research in TB and other diseases fully devolving to Africa are also covered.
authors: Center for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, at UCLHospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Alimuddin
authors: A
authors: Zumla
authors: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors: Eskild
authors: E
authors: Petersen
authors: European Developing Countries Clinical trials Partnership, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Nyirenda
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya. Electronic address: chakaya.jm@gmail.com.
authors: Jeremiah
authors: J
authors: Chakaya
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003906:Developing Countries; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D012106:Research; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Capacity Development; Control; EDCTP; Epidemiology; HIV; Research; Tuberculosis (TB); sub-Saharan Africa