Media statement

MRC appointed as NIH Clinical Trials Unit

The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) has been appointed as one of twelve institutions globally by the US based National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to be an HIV/AIDS Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) for the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN).

Other CTUs affiliated to MTN are located in Africa, India and the United States. The CTUs will engage in multi-centre studies spanning 17 locations in seven countries that seek to determine if topical microbicides can help prevent the sexual transmission of HIV in women.

According to NIH Director, Anthony Fauci, microbicides are a “critical avenue of research” in the development of HIV prevention tools for women. This announcement is another step forward in the search for prevention options for women, who account for over 60% of HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The announcement further augments the South African government’s commitment to accelerate programmes designed to empower women and to support efforts to develop microbicides as outlined in the country’s five-year strategic plan to fight HIV/AIDS which was unveiled on Wednesday.

“The MRC is proud to be selected as one of the 12 global institutions who has proven itself as one of the most qualified and committed organisations in scientific and ethical research”, said MRC President, Professor Anthony MBewu.

He said that “it is an honour to work with other scientists throughout the world in the devotion to reduce sexual transmission of HIV through the development and evaluation of microbicides.”