DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a04602/emerging_markets_c) has announced the addition of Cutting Edge Information's new report "Emerging Markets Clinical Development Series: Africa" to their offering.
Despite maintaining regional offices within Africa, many major drug and device manufacturers frequently overlook the continent when sponsoring clinical studies. Cultural barriers, political upheaval and uneven infrastructure are certainly causes for the lack of interest. But Africa offers tremendous expertise and opportunity for drug and device companies looking for cost-effective study sites and appropriate patient populations.
As challenging as Africa may seem, drug companies have made commitments to improve healthcare across the continent, and these companies' clinical development strategies go hand-in-hand with that improvement. In coming years, the drug and device industries will greatly expand their clinical development presence in Africa, mainly in South Africa and a select few North African nations.
Make sure that your clinical strategy team has all the knowledge available about the growth opportunities in these countries. Africa presents a unique profile that interests many multinational life sciences companies. If the following benefits outweigh the challenges for a clinical team as they often do trial sponsors will find value in Africa:
Boost Patient Access:
Of all emerging regions, Africa has arguably the least access to quality care, ensuring a steady stream of dedicated patients to fill trial enrollments. In addition, the most advanced nations offer highly diverse patient populations that will translate well for submissions in the US and EU.
Leverage Africa's Proximity:
Many major European companies are located just across the Mediterranean from North Africa, making travel and communication easier than in Latin America, for example. For American companies, Africa is much closer than Asia.
Benefit from Underutilization:
Though trial saturation is not a concern in emerging markets yet, Africa is the least saturated. Companies that establish clinical operations bases now will be ahead of the pack when more of the industry turns to Africa.
Metrics Included in the Report:
- Average percentage of budget saved by running a site in Africa
- Average percentage of time saved by running a site in Africa
- Population comparisons between African nations, the United States and Europe
- Number of registered studies across profiled African countries
- Rankings from surveyed companies of benefits and challenges:
- Patient access
- Patient retention
- Regulatory environment
- Intellectual property laws/practices
- Cultural concerns
- Communication and language
- Clinical trial technology infrastructure
- Supply chain management
- Investigators' available knowledge base
- Data standards
- Investigator standards
- Site management standards
- Anticipated cost
Key Topics Covered:
Clinical Development in Africa: Understand the Risks but Do Not Overlook Africa's Potential:
- Scoring Africa
- Study Methodology
- Participating Companies
- Report Layout
- Profile Layout
- Running Trials in Africa: Key Recommendations for Success
South Africa:
- Clinical Environment Overview
- Clinical Development Strategy
- Clinical Development Profiles
Working in Emerging North African Countries:
- Clinical Development Profiles
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a04602/emerging_markets_c