Advancing the development and implementation of improved treatments for sleeping sickness through partnerships with health authorities, research institutes, and healthcare facilities in endemic countries
Founded: 2005
Established to support pharmaceutical R&D and clinical trial capacity in sleeping sickness-endemic countries, the HAT Platform boasts 120 members from over 20 institutions and 5 endemic countries, bringing together ministries of health, research institutes, and national disease control programmes to ensure new treatments for sleeping sickness can be rapidly and effectively evaluated, registered, and made available to patients.
For two decades, the HAT Platform has worked to develop appropriate clinical trial methodologies for sleeping sickness, overcome systems challenges related to administrative and regulatory requirements, strengthen clinical trial capacity, share research findings and experience, and strengthen ties among affected countries.
The Platform played an instrumental role in the inclusion of nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) in the WHO List of Essential Medicines in 2009 and made significant contributions to the evaluation and registration of fexinidazole for T.b. gambiense sleeping sickness (treatment delivered in 2018) and T.b. rhodesiense sleeping sickness (treatment delivered in 2023). It is also contributing to the evaluation of acoziborole as a potential new single-dose oral treatment. The HAT Platform actively supports fexinidazole treatment access programmes and provides training and support to healthcare workers and clinical trial staff across endemic countries.
Tawaba Say Watson, Head Nurse, Bagata, Kwilu province, Democratic Republic of the CongoThe training in good clinical practice and the site initiation of the clinical study, help me on a daily basis to improve the way we take care of all patients.
Latest HAT Platform Newsletter
Newsletter No. 23, September 2024
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Previous newsletters
Newsletter No. 22, February 2023
English Français
Newsletter No. 21, February 2021
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Newsletter No. 20, November 2019
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Newsletter No. 19, May 2018
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Newsletter No. 18, December 2016
English Français
Newsletter No. 17, June 2016
English Français
Newsletter No. 16, January 2015
English Français
Newsletter No. 15, September 2014
English Français
Newsletter No. 14, December 2013
English Français
Newsletter No. 13, August 2013
English Français
Newsletter No. 12, December 2012
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Newsletter No. 11, August 2012
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Newsletter No. 10, December 2011
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Newsletter No. 9, July 2011
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Newsletter No. 8, December 2010
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Newsletter No. 7, July 2010
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Newsletter No. 6, December 2009
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Newsletter No. 5, June 2009
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Newsletter No. 4, October 2008
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Newsletter No. 3, February 2008
English Français
HAT Platform Brochure
DNDi Newsletters
Multimedia
Radio
Radio Okapi, 17 September, 2014
“Dr Augustin Kadima Ebeja : ‘La RDC est le pays le plus endémique de la maladie du sommeil'”
Dr Augustin Kadima Ebeja en ‘Invité du Jour’ sur Radio Okapi (interview audio)
Click here to read the article
Radio Okapi, 17 September, 2014
“Les moyens manquent”,
Interview de Dr Augustin Kadima Ebeja
Click here to read the article
Platform updates
2023
- 11 active clinical sites.
- Trained a total of 226 health workers for clinical trials, diagnosis, access, and pharmacovigilance in South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Angola, Guinea, and DRC.
- Participated in the pharmacovigilance meeting of the WHO programme for international drug monitoring in Rabat, Morrocco; the 36th International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) in Mombasa, Kenya; the 11th EDCTP Forum in Paris, France; and the annual meeting of the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID).
- Supported policy changes to integrate fexinidazole into the sleeping sickness treatment guidelines in endemic countries.
2022
- 10 active clinical sites.
- 105 people trained for clinical trials.
- 6 clinical trial sites improved or upgraded.
- Established 6 regional pharmacovigilance centres in DRC and provided support to pharmacovigilance units in Guinea.
- Held the first joint scientific meeting of the HAT Platform and the London Centre for NTD Research (LCNTDR), including co-hosting with DNDi and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (RSTMH) a series of webinar roundtables attended by over 150 participants from over 60 countries.
2021
- 10 active clinical sites, including two sites involved in clinical trials of fexinidazole for T.b. rhodesiense sleeping sickness in Uganda and Malawi.
- 4 clinical trial site facilities upgraded.
- 62 people trained for clinical trials in DRC and Guinea.
- Achieved policy change integrating fexinidazole into sleeping sickness treatment guidelines in Cameroon, Angola, Gabon, South Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea.
2020
- 12 active clinical sites.
- 610 people trained in pharmacovigilance in DRC, Guinea, Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, and Chad.
- 470 people trained in supporting access to fexinidazole in DRC.
- Contributed to three treatment guideline revision workshops held by the DRC National Sleeping Sickness Control Programme (PNLTHA).
- Contributed to country-level HAT Platform meetings in Guinea and CAR.
- Hosted HAT Platform steering committee meeting with representatives from 16 countries.
- Participated in first National Human African Trypanosomiasis Day in Kinshasa, DRC.
2019
- 13 clinical trial sites (sites belonging to platform/network members and used for DNDi studies) active for acoziborole, fexinidazole for T.b. gambiense, and fexinidazole for T.b. rhodesiense studies
- 7 sites rehabilitated in DRC and Guinea. The platform identified, assessed needs, and prepared the set-up of all sites
Preparing for access to fexinidazole:
- 220 people trained, mainly in DRC, including for new T.b. rhodesiense study starting in Uganda and Malawi
- Supported policy change, with new HAT treatment guidelines including fexinidazole introduced in DRC
- Advocacy meeting in Kinshasa to facilitate introduction of fexinidazole in national guidelines with representatives from Angola, Central African Republic, DRC, Guinea, and South Sudan
2018
- Fexinidazole was recommended by the European Medicines Agency and registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- 13 clinical trial sites were active for the Phase II/III study of acoziborole and the Phase III/IV study of fexinidazole efficacy in special populations. Ten mobile teams supported patient screening
- 160 people were trained on Good Clinical Practice, waste management, and use of diagnostic tools.
2017
- 11 clinical trial sites were active and 2 in rehabilitation to conduct the Phase II/III study of acoziborole and the Phase IIIb study of fexinidazole. 10 mobile teams supported the screening of patients.
- Training activities increased, with 373 people trained (vs 262 in 2016) to address all aspects of ongoing clinical activities, including: training of investigators, nurses, and lab technicians; waste management; and training on diagnostic tools.
- Prepare for policy change and the development of national sleeping sickness treatment guidelines with fexinidazole in DR Congo.
2016
- The HAT platform was operational in 10 clinical trial sites supported by 10 mobile teams dedicated to the screening of patients: 7 sites for the Phase II/III clinical trial for SCYX-7158 and 3 sites for the recruitment of patients for the fexinidazole Phase IIIb study.
- Training activities were sizeable – 262 people trained (compared to 99 in 2015) – to prepare for the Phase II/III clinical trial for SCYX-7158, and covered diagnosis for mobile team technicians, active screening for community health workers, and waste management in clinical trial sites.
2015
- Recruitment of patients to the fexinidazole Phase II/III study was completed (394 patients).
- Participated in the 33rd International Scientific Council of Research and Control of Trypanosomiasis in Ndjamena, Chad, with 53 attendees.
