PAHO launches Clinical Trial Accelerator to strengthen research across the Americas

Washington, D.C., April 9, 2026 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today launched the Clinical Trial Accelerator, a new initiative designed to improve the quality, scale, and impact of clinical research across the Americas.

Clinical trials play a critical role in developing new therapies and ensuring that health interventions are safe and effective. However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, these trials are often small, fragmented, and repetitive, limiting their ability to generate the high-quality evidence needed to address public health challenges.

The Clinical Trial Accelerator, presented this week in a webinar organized by PAHO's Regional Program on Bioethics of the Unit of Science and Knowledge for Impact and the Unit of Quality and Regulation of Medicines and Health Technologies, introduces innovative strategies and tools aimed at enhancing the efficiency and coordination in clinical research. The initiative empowers countries to take a leading role in studies that directly address the needs of their populations.

"PAHO's Clinical Trials Accelerator is designed to make clinical trials more effective and impactful," said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. "It drives research collaboration by providing tools that range from conceptual design to AI-driven innovation, shifting the focus from reactive research to proactive, visionary solutions."

This initiative will strengthen regional networks and partnerships, support the development of more robust, multi-country clinical trials, and reinforce national research systems that are aligned with international ethical and regulatory standards.

The Accelerator builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored both the importance of timely, coordinated research and the gaps in the Region's capacity to generate high-quality evidence at scale. Following a 2023 PAHO regional workshop on clinical trials, countries and partners identified concrete actions to improve coordination, expand research capacity, and promote more collaborative, multi-country studies across the Americas.

One of the actions is the harmonization of clinical trial agreements, which can help reduce delays and facilitate collaboration. Clear, standardized contractual agreements contribute to more efficiency, greater transparency, and stronger compliance with international ethical and regulatory standards. With PAHO's support, countries are working to streamline administrative requirements, reduce duplication, and ensure that oversight remains rigorous while enabling faster, more coordinated implementation of clinical trials.

"COVID showed us that research matters and has the potential to directly impact our health and wellbeing. The countries in the Americas have been taking note and have responded to the challenge of producing more and better research in a way I have not seen in over 15 years at PAHO," explains Carla Saenz, PAHO bioethics advisor.

The Clinical Trial Accelerator is already supporting countries through tools like the Portal of Clinical Trials of the Americas, a PAHO platform offering guidance documents, resources, and key information to promote scientifically and ethically sound clinical trials.

The initiative is part of PAHO's broader work to strengthen clinical trials in the Americas and aligns with the 2023 World Health Assembly resolution to improve clinical trials globally.

By advancing technical cooperation, innovation, and regional collaboration, PAHO's Clinical Trial Accelerator represents an important step toward ensuring that clinical research in the Region is responsive, ethical, and impactful, ultimately improving health outcomes for all.