Interviews

According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization, hepatitis B (HBV) affects 240 million people worldwide and 64 million people in Africa. But only 1 percent of HBV clinical trials worldwide have been conducted in Africa, despite diverse HBV genotypes across the continent, as well as other circumstances that differentiate HBV in Africa from other regions.

Drs. Ekene Osakwe, a Research Associate with the HBV arm of the Forum for Collaborative Research, and Danjuma K. Adda, former president of the World Hepatitis Alliance, met on Zoom and discussed the challenges and opportunities for hepatitis B research in Africa. Both are among the authors of “Strengthening hepatitis B virus clinical research in Africa: the need for multistakeholder collaboration, funding, and political will,” in the journal Lancet Microbe. The article distills the insights from a series of multistakeholder conversations on barriers and solutions to the disparities in HBV research.

The wide-ranging conversation in this video interview, which was recorded in February 2026, touched on topics including the reasons that African countries are underrepresented in HBV clinical trials, why HBV research receives less funding than other conditions, and who should have central roles in designing and conducting clinical trials in Africa.

Dr. Adda emphasized some key themes throughout the conversation, including: the need for long-term investment by governments and pharmaceutical companies, the importance of harmonizing and streamlining regulatory approval processes, and the need to recruit African investigators and engage people living with HBV as research partners.