Practical issues in relation to clinical trials in children in low-income countries: experience from the front line
- 1Paediatric Department, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
- 2Malaria Alert Centre, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
- 3Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- 4Medicine Department, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
- Correspondence to Professor Eizabeth Molyneux, College of Medicine, Paediatric Department, Blantyre Box 360 Malawi; emmolyneux{at}gmail.com
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Contributors All authors contributed to the ideas in the paper and to the provision of examples. MM and EM wrote the main text. All authors read and approved the final submitted paper.
- Received 29 November 2011
- Accepted 21 February 2012
- Published Online First 13 April 2012
Abstract
Clinical trials in children in resource-poor environments are essential for local health policy and practice to be relevant and evidence based. Research must be ethical, appropriate, relevant and of good quality. It should, where possible, benefit the subjects studied,the clinical, scientific and support staff involved, and the service and academic institutions of the host country. The challenge for researchers and their sponsors is to maximise such benefits while avoiding the many possible pitfalls.
Footnotes
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Competing interests None.
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Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
