Current status of clinical trials in Kenya

There is a pressing need to reconsider clinical drug development and distribution of medicines in a truly global sense. The majority of people who desperately need medicinal products get only an inadequate portion of all that is manufactured. This paper is an appeal to those in the international drug development arena to include some of the poorest countries in their drug development programs. It is also a challenge to health professionals and regulatory authorities in those countries to upgrade clinical trial procedures in order to meet international standards and to provide other incentives that attract clinical trials from international drug companies. As a case study, the status of clinical research in Kenya is documented. It is shown that the framework for conducting clinical trials exists. Potential sponsors are challenged to seek out clinical trial opportunities in this region in order to benefit from the impressive number of excellent health research professionals and large pools of drug-free patient populations.