KARACHI-Conducting clinical trials is always challenging however these challenges are magnified in low and middle-income countries, said Prof Dr. Faisal Mahmood, Section Head of infectious diseases at Aga Khan University. He shared the many challenges that are particular to LMICs, especially in the context of Pakistan, while speaking at a Media Roundtable on “COVID-19 and the importance of clinical trials.”
Clinical trials have long stood as the cornerstone of medical progress, playing an indispensable role in the development and validation of new treatments, therapies, and medical interventions. Speaking on ethical and regulatory aspects of clinical trials, Dr Sadia Asim, Director Clinical trial site and CRO at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), said that in Pakistan the trial is controlled through DRAP regulations (Laws) and it’s conducted based on prescribed ethical guidelines, to ensure the rights of human beings during the execution of clinical trials.
Clinical trials have been an essential part of improving healthcare for humans. This research is done in an organised, systematic and ethical way for almost all the drugs we benefit from today, stated Dr. Saima Saeed, a consultant pulmonologist and director, Lung Health at Indus Hospital and Health Network. An example is antibiotics for infections. For example, we have learnt about the best treatments for TB using clinical trials and this and other infections were previously lethal. Similarly, trials allowed us to understand how well different Covid treatments work for those people in hospital and there are ongoing trials about how to reduce symptoms in mild and moderate symptoms. Clinical trials involve the careful monitoring and testing of these interventions in carefully selected groups of participants, following strict protocols designed to ensure the highest standards of safety and ethical practice.