Abstract

Clinical trials in the use of antiretroviral therapy in developing countries: results and challenges

Author(s): James Gita Hakim, Nehemiah Nhando and Anthony Chisada

Clinical trials are regarded as the gold standard in the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of clinical interventions. The escalation in the use of antiretroviral drugs in developing countries has provoked many questions and concerns that require resolution and guidance through the rigors of clinical trials. While several centers of excellence have emerged in developing countries with the capacity to perform robust and ethically acceptable clinical trials, these are few and far between. Many interventions are therefore implemented on the basis of empirical evidence or based on findings in the developed world extrapolating from patients and circumstances far removed from realities in developing countries.