Op-ed: Improving access to innovative medicines in Africa starts with clinical trials

In her World Economic Forum op-ed, Jayasree K. Iyer highlights how Africa remains largely excluded from global clinical research, despite bearing 25% of the world’s disease burden. In 2023, only 1.1% of global clinical trials took place on the continent — a gap that raises serious concerns for health equity and access.

She notes that the disparity is particularly stark in late-stage trials, which influence where treatments are approved first. According to the 2024 Access to Medicine Index, only 27.5% of these projects by major pharmaceutical companies included African countries. This delay in inclusion limits access, reduces the availability of local data, and undermines the relevance of treatment guidelines for the region.

Jayasree emphasises that clinical trials are not merely scientific processes. They are also gateways to healthcare access and local capacity-building. She cites sickle cell disease as a key example of a missed opportunity, with over 80% of cases occurring in Africa. Despite this, there are no gene therapy trials currently underway for the condition in the region, and few long-acting injectables are being tested beyond the scope of HIV/AIDS.

She urges pharmaceutical companies to broaden the scope of trial activity to include a wider range of diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. She also calls for African countries to be included from the early stages of research and development. With expanding infrastructure and the emergence of regulatory bodies like the African Medicines Agency, the region is increasingly prepared. The industry now has a responsibility to act and ensure Africa is not left behind.