From Europe to the World: Insights from Peter Horby
Completing its third year of operations, Ecraid has firmly established its position within the European infectious diseases research landscape. While Ecraid continues to expand its role as a pioneering, investigator-led clinical research network, interest in adopting its model is growing well beyond Europe.
For this year’s annual report, we spoke with Prof. Sir Peter Horby, Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford and Ecraid Coordinating Committee member, about Ecraid’s unique clinical trial infrastructure, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. Photo source: Pandemic Sciences Institute.
Q: Prof. Horby, you’ve worked extensively both within and outside Europe. From a global perspective, what about Ecraid’s model stands out to you?
A: I work outside of Europe a lot, including in Africa, where I am a coordinator for the African Coalition for Epidemic Research Response and Training. With my African colleagues, we are now concentrating on how we can strengthen the clinical trial infrastructure through multi-country and high-quality sustainable clinical research networks. For this, we look at Ecraid as a possible model. I’ve also noticed an increasing interest from other parts of the world to adopt the Ecraid model.
Q: What do you think makes Ecraid’s infrastructure so attractive and relevant on a global level?
A: What makes Ecraid interesting is that it is an investigator-led network, building a financially sustainable organisation through a combination of investigator-led and commercial studies. Colleagues are watching closely the viability of this model.
Q: What do you see as the main challenges Ecraid must overcome?
A: The challenge for Ecraid is, in my opinion, to balance commercial studies and investigator-led studies at a scale and cost price that are both attractive to companies and generate enough revenue to sustain the Ecraid network and its coordinating headquarters. Though the outlook for Ecraid is very promising, I think it is still too early to pronounce on the sustainability of this model, particularly in the current volatile economic and political climate.
Beyond financial sustainability, financial headroom is critical because it is the foundation for Ecraid’s ‘warm-base’ network and its coordinating headquarters. This is needed for being prepared for health emergencies, which is one of the main reasons the European Commission funded Ecraid: to improve the EU’s response to health emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I notice an increasing interest from other parts of the world to adopt the Ecraid model.”
Q: You’ve mentioned that preparedness is a particular area of personal interest to you. Could you please elaborate?
A: Absolutely. Being prepared for emerging health threats demands that all procedures and mechanisms are in place, fully understood, and fully operational, so that Ecraid can mobilise in days – not weeks or months.
Q: Beyond preparedness, what else would you like Ecraid to prioritise?
A: I would like Ecraid to continue focussing not only on new interventions, but also on optimisation and repurposing. Improving health does not necessarily mean new products; it can also mean making better use of existing products. Ecraid is well placed to contribute to this.
This interview first appeared in the Ecraid Annual Report 2024.
About Peter Horby
Prof. Sir Peter Horby is Moh Family Foundation Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health at the University of Oxford and the Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute. He is Co-Chief Investigator of the RECOVERY trial of treatments for viral pneumonia, as well as Executive Director of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC), a consortium of international, national and local research networks whose research activities span 134 countries worldwide.
He has advised the World Health Organisation, the UK Government and other agencies on epidemic preparedness, clinical research, and clinical trial design for epidemic infectious diseases. He was awarded the Vietnam Medal for People's Health in 2006, and the Alwyn Smith Prize for outstanding contribution to public health and knighthood for his services to medical research in 2021.