On this International Clinical Trials Day, GloPID-R is highlighting the urgent need to strengthen the quality, coordination, and equity of clinical trials globally – particularly in the context of epidemic and pandemic response, when opportunities to gather evidence for clinical management are limited.
As we face ongoing outbreaks such as Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as well as the Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, GloPID-R and its members are working together to ensure that global research funders are better coordinated to provide a timely, effective and fair research response (including clinical trials) during future health emergencies.
A global working group for clinical trial coordination
To achieve these goals, in 2017, GloPID-R brought together globally representative funders and clinical trial networks in its Clinical Trial Networks and Funders Working Group. The group provides a platform to:
- Strengthen global preparedness and response to epidemics and pandemics
- Identify and address challenges to timely, effective, inclusive, and equitable clinical research.
Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the group’s first priorities was to identify best practices and principles for research funders to facilitate the coordination of clinical trials during outbreaks.
Advancing WHA 75.8 on strengthening clinical trials
The World Health Assembly’s resolution 75.8 (WHA 75.8) on strengthening clinical trials calls for improved quality and coordination of trials globally. It urges funders to support well-designed and well-implemented clinical trials that:
- Are conducted in diverse settings, including in resource-limited settings
- Include all major population groups intended to benefit from the intervention being evaluated.
GloPID-R played a key role in the development of the WHA 75.8 resolution and is now working with its members to implement these recommendations into their funding strategies.
A living roadmap for coordinated clinical trial response
In 2023, GloPID-R launched a living roadmap to guide funding agencies in improving the coordination of clinical trials in response to new, emerging, and re-emerging outbreaks with epidemic or pandemic potential. Developed by GloPID-R’s Clinical Trial Networks and Funders Working Group in consultation with GloPID-R’s members, its Data Sharing Working Group, observers, and associated stakeholders, the roadmap aims to:
- Support epidemic-ready clinical trial networks and platforms
- Facilitate an agile, effective clinical trial response
- Promote an equitable research environment
The roadmap responds to challenges identified during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasises the need for a national, regional, and global clinical trial ecosystem capable of coordinated, effective responses and capable of delivering well-designed clinical trials that produce evidence to guide public health decision-making.
Progress and remaining challenges
One year after the launch of the roadmap, GloPID-R published a progress report assessing the state of play of the implementation of the roadmap’s actions, analysing progress made, and taking stock of changes in norms and standards since the roadmap was developed.
The report documents encouraging progress in the implementation of several key recommendations, including increased coordination among funders. At the same time, it highlights the remaining challenges, including:
- Gaps in infrastructure to support multi-country trials
- Complex regulatory environments
- Ongoing needs for investment in strengthening capacity for clinical trial coordination across the globe.
These findings reinforce the importance of sustained, coordinated action for a resilient global clinical trial ecosystem.
Ongoing work and next steps
The Clinical Trial Networks and Funders Working Group continues to actively engage with GloPID-R members and key stakeholders to improve clinical trial coordination for epidemic and pandemic response. A second progress report on the living roadmap, planned for publication later in 2026, will further assess the current state of implementation of the roadmap’s actions, building on the findings of the first progress report.
As the world prepares for current and future health threats, research funders have a critical responsibility. The living roadmap and other resources developed by GloPID-R provide funders with guidance on investments and collaborations to help build a clinical trial ecosystem capable of delivering coordinated, effective and equitable research that generates actionable evidence to inform public health policies and strengthen global health security.