By Julio G. Martinez-Clark, CEO, bioaccess

A few decades ago, the development of global clinical research that integrates low- and middle-income countries was considered a dream. Now it is a pressing need. The number of registered clinical trials has increased in all geographic regions, with the average annual growth most significant in the Asian (30%) and Latin American/Caribbean (12%) regions.(1) Over the past five years, more clinical trials of all types have been conducted in Latin America (7,163) than in Africa (6,794) and Southeast Asia (6,000), excluding China and Australia. The pharmaceutical industry has sponsored more clinical trials in Latin America (3,234) than in Africa (836) and South Asia (683) over that period. Check out my last article for more overview information on why Latin America is a compelling region to conduct your clinical trials.

This article discusses the 101-year history of vaccine research in Latin America, how Latin America could help solve the vaccine clinical trial diversity problem in the U.S., and why the region is a desirable destination for such clinical research.