{"id":267892,"date":"2025-11-07T14:07:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T14:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/267892\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:07:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T14:07:18","slug":"who-publishes-new-global-research-agenda-to-strengthen-paediatric-clinical-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/267892\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO publishes new global research agenda to strengthen paediatric clinical trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Geneva, Switzerland, 2025\u00a0\u2013 The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new technical report,\u00a0The future of paediatric clinical trials \u2013 setting research priorities for child health<\/a>,\u00a0presenting a global research agenda designed to address critical gaps in evidence that inform policies, clinical\u00a0guidelines\u00a0and programmes for children aged 0\u20139 years. This work follows the call from WHO\u2019s\u00a0Guidance for\u00a0best practices for clinical\u00a0trials (2024)<\/a>\u00a0for a greater focus on inclusion of under-represented populations in clinical trials, including children, to ensure that research better reflects the diversity of populations affected by health conditions globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite major advances in child health over the past two decades, progress has not been\u00a0equitable, and preventable illnesses continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality among children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Children\u00a0remain\u00a0under-represented in clinical trials, resulting in gaps in evidence that is directly applicable to their needs. This research agenda has been developed to help address these gaps by\u00a0identifying\u00a0priority questions where clinical trials can generate the greatest public health impact, support national decision-making\u00a0and improve outcomes for children at risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agenda was developed through an inclusive and systematic process involving global experts, national programme leaders, researchers,\u00a0and community representatives. More than 380 stakeholders contributed\u00a0653\u00a0research questions, which were refined through expert review and prioritization to produce a final list of 172 clinical research priorities spanning infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, newborn health, early childhood\u00a0development\u00a0and nutrition. The agenda is designed to be practical and action-oriented, with a strong emphasis on feasibility, scalability,\u00a0and\u00a0equitable\u00a0impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Commenting on the publication of the report,\u00a0Dr Meg Doherty,\u00a0Director of WHO\u2019s Department of Science for Health, noted that the agenda provides a foundation for aligning research efforts with public health needs.\u00a0\u201cThis research agenda offers governments,\u00a0partners\u00a0and research institutions a clear direction for investment. By\u00a0identifying\u00a0where evidence is most needed, it creates an opportunity to coordinate resources and foster collaboration to address the highest-burden areas affecting children today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of WHO\u2019s Department of\u00a0Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health\u00a0and\u00a0Ageing,\u00a0and UN Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP)\u00a0emphasized the importance of inclusive and sustained investment.\u00a0\u201cEstablishing research priorities is only the first step. Strategic and sustained funding will be critical to move these priorities forward. This agenda provides a shared roadmap that donors and partners can use to align investments, support national needs and ensure that research leads to real improvements in child health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to\u00a0identifying\u00a0priority\u00a0research\u00a0questions, the report highlights the importance of regional collaboration, integration of research within national health systems,\u00a0and the strengthening of institutional capacity to support multi-country trials. It also underscores the need for coordinated financing approaches to accelerate implementation and ensure that research investments are directed toward areas with the greatest\u00a0potential for\u00a0impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHO will continue to work with Member States and partners to\u00a0facilitate\u00a0the application of this agenda, promote dialogue across sectors,\u00a0and mobilize resources for priority research.\u00a0WHO encourages Member States, research institutions, partners and funding agencies to use this agenda as a tool to guide strategic planning, mobilize resources and support collaborative action.\u00a0By\u00a0addressing these gaps, the evidence generated can be brought into much needed and potentially\u00a0neglected\u00a0areas for\u00a0WHO guidelines and policies. By\u00a0focusing on shared priorities and promoting\u00a0equitable\u00a0inclusion,\u00a0the\u00a0agenda aims to ensure that future research addresses the needs of all children, including those who have historically been left behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Geneva, Switzerland, 2025\u00a0\u2013 The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new technical report,\u00a0The future of paediatric clinical…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-267892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}