Advancing pharmacometrics in Africa-Transition from capacity development toward job creation.

Abstract

Trained pharmacometricians remain scarce in Africa due to limited training opportunities, lack of a pharmaceutical product development ecosystem, and emigration to high-income countries. The Applied Pharmacometrics Training (APT) fellowship program was established to address these gaps and specifically foster job creation for talent retention. We review the APT program's progress over 3 years and encourage collaboration to enhance local clinical data analysis in Africa. Initiated in 2021 by Pharmacometrics Africa, a non-profit educational entity, with support from partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Certara, the APT program targets African doctoral-level scientists and clinicians. This 6-month program is jointly managed by partners, with Pharmacometrics Africa handling logistics and sponsor liaison. Job creation initiatives include inviting fellows to join consulting teams or local research centers. Over the 3 year reporting period, 177 applications were received, with 27 individuals (41% female, median age 35 years) from nine African countries selected into and completing the full program. The fellows worked on 13 data analysis projects, with six so far being presented at international conferences and/or submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Nine fellows have joined consulting teams or research centers working from offices in Africa. Currently, in the 3rd year, the APT program has demonstrated success in skills development, job creation, and fostering a critical mass of African pharmacometricians. Collaboration is essential for the sustainable advancement of model-informed drug development in Africa.