World Aids Day 2014: second EDCTP programme starts December 2, 2014
The message for World Aids Day 2014 is one of hope across the range of expert and advocacy voices. In the same breath however, all warn that much still has to be done to fight the disease and defeat the epidemic that still grips many communities globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Under its first programme (2003-2014) EDCTP has supported the fight against HIV/AIDS by funding research on treatment and prevention. The second EDCTP programme (EDCTP2, 2014-2024) will continue to do so.
EDCTP2 will be inaugurated tomorrow at a high-level meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. It will bring together public and private funders, the pharmaceutical industry and product development partnerships, academic research and advocacy organisations as well as representatives of the European and African countries. This programme is steered and financed by its participating states with matching support from the European Union under its Research and Innovation framework programme Horizon 2020.
First EDCTP2 calls for proposals
Tomorrow, 2 December, EDCTP will launch its second call under the new programme. The call for research proposals regarding diagnostics is broad and will be open to HIV/AIDS research as well as the other poverty-related diseases.
Applications should focus on late stage development (e.g. evaluation and/or demonstration phase trials) or implementation studies in sub-Saharan Africa. Applications should further provide detailed plans for World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsement and/or implementation of the diagnostic tools and technologies upon successful completion of the project. Priority will be given to point-of-care diagnostics for use in resource-limited settings.
On 31 October, EDCTP in collaboration with WHO-TDR, published a call for applications for the Clinical Research & Development Fellowship scheme directed at researchers from low- and middle-income countries. The call will support researchers and key members of clinical trial research teams working on poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases, to acquire specialist skills in clinical research and development through placements in pharmaceutical companies and PDPs.
HIV/AIDS research supported under the first EDCTP programme
Since 2003, EDCTP has invested € 66.41 million to support 54 research projects on HIV/AIDS, including substantial capacity upgrade at clinical research centres in 23 sub-Saharan Africa countries.
The EDCTP portfolio on HIV/AIDS includes 13 treatment trials, second-line therapy and paediatric treatment and studies on HIV/TB co-infection. Six studies focus on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Eight vaccine trials have been supported, as well as three trials on microbicides and one trial focused on mechanisms to maximise retention and adherence to treatment.
Moreover, EDCTP provided professional training in HIV/AIDS research to 224 African scientists and medical doctors, including 21 Senior Fellows as well as more than 183 Master’s and PhD students.
HIV treatment
EDCTP funded 17 grants on HIV treatment totalling € 23.44 million. The focus of these trials were to test treatment regimens with lower overall antiretroviral exposure; to investigate the optimal time for initiating treatment; and to investigate the ways to best monitor and manage drug use both in children and in adults. The objectives were to simplify and standardise antiretroviral regimens in adults and children, and develop new treatment regiments. Two projects addressed issues of HIV and tuberculosis co-infection.
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS
In the area of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, EDCTP invested € 5.85 million to fund five projects. Although breastfeeding is essential to prevent malnutrition and infectious diseases in resource-limited settings, it carries a significant risk of transmission of HIV, especially in later stages of infection. The projects aimed to protect the child from being infected with HIV during pregnancy, while making sure that the mother receives proper treatment that is safe for her child. The studies investigate the safety and efficacy of antiretroviral regimens containing drugs such as tenofovir, lamivudine and nevirapine, mostly used in combination to prevent drug resistance.
HIV vaccine development
EDCTP has invested € 23.4 million to support 12 projects for HIV vaccine development. Of these, six projects were funded via the joint call for proposals with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched in 2006. The studies aimed to develop capacity to conduct future large phase IIb and III clinical trials of preventive vaccines in Africa according to international regulatory standards.
Microbicides
EDCTP supported five preparatory studies for clinical trials of microbicides that amount to a total funding of € 9.39 million. The development of microbicides is a new approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It can be applied inside the vagina or rectum to prevent infection with HIV through sexual transmission. The availability of non-contraceptive microbicides in the form of a gel, cream, vaginal ring or suppository would greatly empower women to protect themselves and their partners as women could easily control its use.