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conferenceseries.com
Volume 7, Issue 5 (Suppl) J Clin Trials, an open access journal
ISSN:2167-0870 Clinical Trials 2017
September 11-13, 2017
September 11-13, 2017 San Antonio, USA
4th International Conference on
Cl inical Tr ial s
The challenges of clinical trials in developing nations: Ethiopian perspectives
Etsubdink Abera Aboye
St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ethiopia
C linical trials in Ethiopia and other developing nations can generally be considered to be in its embryonic stages. The share
of studies registered from Africa is (in Clinicaltrials.gov) updated as of June 2017 is only 0.025%, although the region
represents about 15% of the population of the world; and Ethiopia represents only 1.5% of all the studies from Africa. Though
clinical trials provide the highest degree of evidence to support new interventions and decisions about disease management, the
challenges of conducting clinical trials in Ethiopia are enormous. The basic problem arises from the country’s poor economy
that resulted in underdeveloped research infrastructure such as space, supplies and maintenance affecting clinical work,
communication, access, availability of basic needed inputs, and lack of trained workforce in clinical research. Besides, there is
lower prioritization of research in academic institutions considering research as a luxury; time and money consuming; and this
has resulted in the establishment of very few clinical trials units nationwide. There is lack of equitable incentives for researchers
due to limited sources of funding and very minimal budget allocation to clinical research activities by the government. The
regulatory frameworks are also bureaucratic; and this has been discouraging to the few clinical researchers resulting in brain
drain; that is a challenge in health facilities in resource-limited settings as it is associated with increasing workloads, lowering
the quality of services, reducing team efficiency and causing a loss of institutional knowledge. Moreover, poor and/or illiterate
study participants and differing cultural values and beliefs may lead to recruitment, consent and follow up difficulties, which
slow down trial progress from my experience in Ethiopia.
Biography
Etsubdink Abera Aboye has earned his Medical Doctorate from St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Ethiopia, in November 12, 2013. He is graduated
with distinction and retained in the Medical College with academic rank of Lecturer and Early Career Researcher. He has participated in various researches that
brought positive change to the community, and he is currently participating in the evaluation of a standardized treatment regimen of anti-tuberculosis drugs for
patients with MDR-TB, multicenter trial involving five hospitals in the city. He worked as President of the Medical Students’ Association, Assistant Student Dean,
Modular Coordinator, and Undergraduate Students’ Coordinator. He is currently a Fellow at Harvard Medical School-Global Clinical Scholars Research Training
Program with clinical trial concentration, and Member of Research Ethical Review Committee of his academic institution since 2016.
Etsubdink Abera Aboye, J Clin Trials 2017, 7:5 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2167-0870-C1-019