The Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) has pledged readiness to host international clinical trials, saying it has the infrastructure, research facilities, and huge patient traffic to meet the expectations of global pharmaceutical firms.
This was contained in the statement shared on Friday via the hospital’s verified social media page.
The hospital group was addressed by a regulatory body during its inspection tour to verify the compliance of approved clinical study protocols for the commencement of a clinical trial.
The Inspection team comprises Dr. Ben Yakubu, Deputy Director and Head, Division of Clinical Trials, Vaccines and Biologics, Directorate of Drug Evaluation and Research, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and Prof. Oladapo Olayemi, National Coordinator, I’M WOMAN Trial.
On their part, the Chief Medical Director of RSUTH, Prof. Chizindu Alikor, was represented by the Deputy Chief Medical Director, Dr. Simeon Uriah, who led the team of hospital administrators and I’M WOMAN trial staff, with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Paul Ledee Kua.
Dr. Uriah stated that the hospital has the required infrastructural facilities to host clinical trials globally.
He noted that the hospital has a reliable source of power supply, an advanced molecular lab, environmental sanitation, and high patient traffic.
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He further emphasized the need for African health metrics and anthropometrics to be used as a baseline to determine the safety and efficacy of therapeutics.
This, according to Dr. Uriah, is in addition to the fact that most of the research data used for pharmacological references are based on Caucasian, American, and Asian populations.
Dr. Yakubu, on his part, stated that the regulatory authority wanted to ensure that the safety of the volunteer participants would not be compromised, and that the data collected would be verifiable and credible.
He explained that NAFDAC had embarked on making Nigeria a global clinical research destination while striving to bridge the imbalance in clinical research between the northern and southern hemispheres.
According to Dr. Yakubu, a multinational contract research organization (CRO) was interested in Nigeria’s clinical research potentials to host their global trials.
He further revealed that the organization would hold a regulatory capacity-building workshop in Nigeria scheduled from October 5 to 9, 2022, for investigators to present Nigeria for more clinical trials, adding that they would make the necessary recommendations.
The hospital administrators, however, proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital a certified clinical trial site.
The proposal was in consonance with the hospital’s desire to transform from a top-tier regional hospital into a university teaching hospital with research capabilities.
