Principle Research Associate for the Malaria Epidemiology Group Latif Ndeketa has been appointed, from November 2020, to serve on the Clinical Trials Committee for the Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority. We had a brief chat with Ndeketa and this is what he had to say:

Congratulations on your appointment. Tell us who you are?

I am a Principal Research Associate with the Malaria Epidemiology Group of which I am also the Deputy Group Head. As part of this role, I am involved in several projects. I am the PI for the EPIMAL-003 malaria vaccine safety monitoring study. I am a Sub-Investigator for the EPIMAL-005 annual malaria prevalence survey. I was previously co-PI for the ABCD clinical trial, and I am also currently collaborating with MLW researchers and partner institutions such as College of Medicine on the Kuteteza Project

What are you hoping to learn on the committee?

I hope to use this opportunity to learn different study methods by reviewing different protocols used and the safety profile of different investigational medicinal products (IMP). The trial site monitoring is critical when evaluating if the site is suitable to execute the trial protocol.

What do you plan to share with others during your service on the committee?

I will use my knowledge in vaccine and drug development and experience in pharma to review (IMP) and ensure that they meet the same regulatory standards for the western hemisphere to share with other members on the committee.

Please share a brief description of the committee.

The Clinical Trial Review Committee is a Committee of the Board established under section 17 of the PMRA ACT of 2019. It advises the Authority on matters related to authorisation and monitoring of clinical trials in Malawi. It consists of a maximum of seven members with any of the following areas; clinical research, epidemiology, pharmacology, biostatistics, regulatory science, and ethics.