Getting Global: A Focus on China

Huebei Province, China
The Rise in HIV/Aids cases among Chinese Citizens dramatically decreased from 49% to 8% following an influx of standardized Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy.
Antiretroviral drugs are broadly classified by the phase of the retrovirus life-cycle that the drug inhibits. This sort of success in China can be repeated if patients are given access to proper medical care. In order to do so, one must look at the types of clinical research being done in China and the ways that clinical research can improve despite difficulties with cost, patient retention and properly equipped staff:

Sources:
Wikipedia,
Health Affairs.
Clinical Trials in China

Feasibility of Multi-Phase Trials

Mahesh Paramar, Ph.D., from the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit in London, along with some colleagues have "modified standard clinical trial methodology so that multiple therapies or combinations can be compared in a single trial." What this means, is that Phase II and Phase III goals are combined into a single "multi-phase trial," that also would have the benefit of needing less patients. As stated in this article, from Science Daily, Parmar and his colleagues wrote an article for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute detailing their proposal. regarding the practicality of using the approach outlined by Paramer, the authors of the proposal wrote:

"With three real examples, we hope that we have shown that such trials are feasible and can lead to major improvements in speed and decision making"