Four members of the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition participated in a high-level session on data sharing at the Geneva Health Forum on 4 May. The lively, moderated discussion covered the need for data sharing in a pandemic, the importance and challenge of data protection laws, and potential levers for increasing rapid data sharing.

The PRIORITISE study developed and validate three clinical prediction models that could help identify patients presenting with moderate Covid-19 who could safely be managed in the community. The PRIORITISE team would like to hear from groups interested in collaborating to further validate the findings.

The coalition is looking for a part-time Therapeutics Review Consultant to systematically review data or evidence on COVID-19 therapeutics and produce a weekly summary report. The Therapeutics Review Consultant will be a vital link in the compilation of existing evidence, which will provide an open access source of information for researchers and inform the discussions of the Therapeutics Working Group. 

Following a workshop on access to COVID-19 vaccines, experts from the Global Health Strategy Group for Digital Health and AI for health (an initiative of the University of Oxford), and the Supply & Market Dynamics; Medicine Quality Working Group of the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition just issued a report capturing challenges affecting supply, distribution, and access issues for people in low-resource settings.

The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition is calling for nominations for members of a new Therapeutics Working Group. In low-resource settings, there is relatively little COVID-19 therapeutics research taking place. There is also uncertainty on the future affordability and availability of any proven therapeutics in such settings. A platform to discuss COVID-19 therapeutics in low-resource settings and promote relevant research and priorities would be beneficial. A new coalition working group has been proposed, to fill this gap.

Excessive bureaucracy has been identified as an obstacle to the conduct of clinical research in many settings. Complex requirements and lengthy processes often delay and sometimes prevent the initiation of research work. In this survey, we sought to gain high-level insights into how researchers and health professionals regard the effects of the various bureaucratic processes and their impact on the conduct of COVID- 19 clinical research.

The COVID Moonshot, a non-profit, open-science consortium of scientists from around the world dedicated to the discovery of globally affordable and easily-manufactured antiviral drugs against COVID-19 and future viral pandemics.

Coalition Ethics Working Group members Ms Katharine Wright and Dr Leonardo de Castro recently participated in the 14th Annual Philippines Health Research Week under the theme ‘Health R&D in the New Normal: Moving Towards Universal Health Care’. A key outcome of the meeting was the adoption of the Ethical Compass as a guide for Research Ethics Committee processes in the Philippines.

Building on concerns of low access to and availability of diagnostics for COVID-19 in resource-limited settings, a survey was carried out to provide initial insight into the country-specific landscape of diagnostics. This survey report highlights the current tests available in different countries, obstacles to access and availability of diagnostics, as well as possible solutions to the identified obstacles as perceived by respondents.  

Coalition member and co-founder DNDi has just issued a policy report, ‘Another triumph of science, but defeat for access? Ensuring innovation and equitable access for COVID-19 treatments, other infectious diseases, and future pandemics’.  The report urges the international community to learn the early lessons – and avoid repeating the mistakes – of the past year when it comes to innovation of and access to COVID-19 therapeutics, a deeply neglected area within the COVID-19 response.