The Investigator sector seeks to assist investigators in matters related to clinical trials. 

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CaTNus” = "Clinical Trials in a Nutshell” - through the “Medinova MERC Training Academy”.

Training of Public Healthcare Professionals in the state sector.

(Dr Siddique Mohammed Tayob).

The “Clinical Trials in a Nutshell” (CaTNus) training programme, offered by the Medinova MERC Training Academy (MeMTA) has been accredited by SAMA (South African Medical Association) and The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the United Kingdom. This course is accredited for 16 CPD points and currently piloted at Middelburg Provincial Hospital.

It is gaining increasing recognition by the Pharma industry in SA and Department of Health – there is great excitement about such a programme being offered FREE to the government sector especially wrt Capacity Building being a major requirement for sustainability - pressure from the CT Industry and the MCC (Medical Control Council) makes this a viable programme for capacity building.

There a number of benefits from CaTNus programme:

• Improving relationships between the state sector and the clinical trials industry;

• Improving the knowledge of clinical trials in the state sector, thereby, expelling the myths and suspicions about our industry;

• Building a National Database of potential participants – invaluable for future studies;

• Complying with MCC requirements for sustainable, credible, effective & empowering Capacity Building;

• A platform for Pharma companies & Clinical Trial sites to participate meaningfully in this capacity-building exercise, thus, also get recognition for compliance with their own capacity building requirements;

• Developing real capacity and growing the “CT Cake” in SA so that we may attract more work to SA;

• Ultimately benefiting patients – another treatment / disease management option becomes available to them.

We welcome input from our colleagues in the industry – suggestions as well as volunteering time, energy and resources will benefit the continued development and refinement of this project.

The roll-out of CaTNus to other hospitals in the country is being planned, and currently we are in discussion with a major tertiary hospital in the Western Cape to initiate CaTNus there.

Site Capacity Building:

(Dr Essack Mitha)

• SACRA shall continue to build upon the Site and Investigator data base that will provide direct updates and training opportunities required of SACRA by Sites;

• Conference and separate Workshop sessions centered on areas raised by Sites in the course of 2018;

• As a continuation of SACRA's Site Capacity Building we will be holding GCP and GCLP refresher training, that will endeavor to address how the new revisions to ICH-E6 affect sites.