ACTP - About

This is a new site developed by the Malaria Vaccine Initiative and Voxiva with the support of public and private partners. Your comments, suggestions and questions are greatly appreciated. Please e-mail the ACTP Administrator.

The Africa Clinical Trials Portal:

ACTP is a comprehensive online resource for easily accessible information on malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB clinical trials in Africa. The portal is a one-stop resource that allows users to:

Access clinical trial information using a database of pre-licensure clinical trials of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB drugs, vaccines and microbicides that are currently underway in Africa.

Obtain accurate information on clinical trial sites in Africa.

View a continent-wide map that displays clinical trial and site information using interactive web-based mapping technology.

Find current news, research and regulatory guidelines, jobs, training opportunities, conferences and other useful resources for the African clinical trials community.

Network across clinical trial sites.

Discuss current issues surrounding malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB and other topics such as ethics, regulatory guidelines, training, etc.

The Vision:

While the data provided by ACTP will be extremely valuable, the goal of the portal is to provide more than just information by:

Encouraging testing of promising drugs, vaccines and microbicides for diseases that disproportionately affect Africa.

Supporting developers of drugs, vaccines and microbicides, investigators, and other members of the clinical trials community.

Promoting investments in a sustainable clinical trials infrastructure that strengthens the capacity of African researchers, research centers and institutions.

Advancing regional and international collaboration among donor agencies, public health organizations, research institutions, and researchers.

Contributing to the availability of products to treat and prevent malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB, and ultimately, improve the overall health of the African people.

Why Now?:

Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB account for the majority of morbidity and mortality in Africa. The global health community has responded to these international health crises with increased resources for infectious disease prevention, treatment and control. Given the resources at hand and the increasing spread of Internet technology to the developing world, establishment of ACTP is an exciting opportunity. The portal will be a resource for organizations and individuals interested in African health and development. Evidence to support the current need for a resource such as ACTP includes:

The number of clinical trials being conducted in Africa is increasing dramatically.

Public-private partnerships, European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), pharmaceutical companies and others are increasing investments in malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB clinical trials in Africa.

A comprehensive, up-to-date resource for information on clinical trials in Africa does not currently exist, limiting knowledge sharing, networking, and awareness among researchers of clinical trials on a continent-wide basis.

Historical approaches have led to repetitive cycles of building similar, yet temporary infrastructure that dissolves once a trial concludes. This redundancy not only increases the financial costs of conducting trials but also, more importantly, represents significant opportunities lost for the countries and villages where such trials take place.

Who is the Audience?:

ACTP is a powerful resource for anyone interested in learning more about and networking around clinical trials of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB drugs, vaccines and microbicides in Africa. We expect the portal’s audience to be drawn primarily from five areas:

African governments and institutions that host clinical trials.

Principal investigators, other researchers and administrators who lead and conduct clinical trials.

Organizations, companies, and public-private partnerships that fund, plan, and implement clinical trials.

Global and national public health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies that sponsor and regulate clinical trials.

Donor agencies that invest in clinical trials and public health capacity building.

How Does It Work?:

ACTP is a multi-functional portal. All Internet users can access public information about current clinical trials of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB drugs, vaccines and microbicides in Africa using an integrated search feature or by selecting clinical trial locations from an interactive map. Soon, users will also be able to access public information about clinical trial sites. Additionally, users have access to information and functionality that supports networking and capacity building throughout the African clinical trials community. As the depth and scope of information available through the portal increases, users implementing trials may use ACTP to identify local research capacity and recruit trial participants.

ACTP is supported by the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), in collaboration with several public-private partnerships and African clinical trial sites. Data are provided by ACTP partners. For additional information, comments, and suggestions, please email the ACTP Administrator.