The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition is working with the ACT-Accelerator Therapeutics Partnership to increase the representation of researchers from low- and middle-income countries in the Therapeutics Partnership’s workstreams.
The Therapeutics Partnership, led by Unitaid and Wellcome, is one of four pillars of the WHO Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator) and aims to develop, manufacture, and distribute effective therapeutics to prevent and treat COVID-19.
It is critically important that the needs of low- and middle-income countries, and especially low-resource settings, are well integrated as part of global access and affordability criteria for any repurposed drugs and drug candidates identified for investment by this global collaboration. Furthermore, the global endeavor would benefit from greater research representation from low-resource settings.
The Therapeutics Partnership has three concurrent workstreams:
- Rapid evidence assessment of drug candidates, coordinating the clinical trials portfolio, scientific direction and selection of candidates for development at scale (including evaluation beyond the current portfolio of Therapeutics Accelerator drug candidates).
- Market preparedness, facilitating market entry and supply at scale, including regulation, production capacity, pricing, designing appropriate tools and interventions adapted to the specific product.
- Adequate deployment in all countries, ensuring procurement, equitable distribution and delivery at scale and in all settings.
We are seeking researchers with relevant research expertise, technical competence, a commitment to the principles of equitable access for all, and a desire to represent the research priorities of low-resource settings in the above workstreams.
If you are interested, please:
- submit your information and a letter expressing your interest and motivation in this short form, and
- email a short CV (2-3 pages) to info@cerclecoalition.org with Therapeutics Partnership nomination in the subject heading.
Nominations should be submitted by the end of the day (all time zones) on Sunday, 28 March 2021.
Thank you in advance for sharing this call for nominations widely within your networks, and particularly with individuals who you believe to be good candidates.
Photo credit: Kenny Mbala-DNDi