The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is seeking to accelerate the continent’s involvement in COVID-19 trials with the launch of a Clinical Trials Community (CTC) online platform.

Only 2 percent of the world’s COVID-19 cases have been reported in Africa, a country that accounts for approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, according to World Health Organization statistics, and just 3 percent (35) of the 1,096 ongoing global COVID-19 clinical trials are being conducted there. Backers of the CTC say they hope the digital platform will raise awareness of trial sites and investigators across the continent and enhance intra-Africa collaboration around COVID-19 research.

Researchers involved in COVID-19 trials can use the online platform to connect with industry and regulators to obtain funding and accelerate the approval process for investigational therapies and vaccines for the disease. The full CTC platform is due for launch in late 2020 and will cover all diseases of public health importance for the African continent.

For more information about the platform, click here: https://bit.ly/2zr3hEg.