However, it was able to enrol all interested participants in follow-up protocols after the sponsors' confidence grew and enthusiasm for the activities increased. However, not all parties involved in clinical research outside the Western world may work according to these standards. The majority of potential sponsor will demand that this standard be implemented. It was learned that without dedicated staff and a responsible coordinator at every individual research site, success is impossible. Setting up a single site and expanding the research activities to three sites in the course of two years has been successful.
Clinical trials do create access to drugs, but only for a limited number of people.
Drug access may therefore not be an appropriate primary goal for becoming involved in research. As well, valuable local experience is gained and local data are generated that help the pharmaceutical companies facilitate the registration of the agents. Simply establishing a programme, doing the studies, and generating useful data seem to exert pressure on government agencies, local pharmaceutical company representatives, and ethical committees to re-evaluate their tasks and performance in the areas of HIV care, clinical research, and importation and provision of drugs.