The CT-Luso Project took part in the 84th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), held from 30 August to 2 September 2026 in Montreal, Canada. The scientific poster was presented by Hélder Mota Filipe, President of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society and a member of the CT-Luso coordination team. View the poster here.
Entitled ‘CT-Luso – Ethics and Regulatory Capacity Building Partnership for Clinical Trials in Portuguese-speaking African Countries’, the poster presented the project’s main results across its three complementary areas of intervention: legislative strengthening, institutional strengthening and professional capacity building.
In the area of legislative strengthening, a comprehensive analysis was presented of the ethical, legal and institutional frameworks governing clinical trials in the five Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP): Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. This work produced three complementary outcomes: an analysis of each country’s legislative framework and the gaps identified in the fields of biomedical research and clinical trials; an institutional mapping of the National Regulatory Authorities and Ethics Committees; and the development of country-specific recommendations, with priority actions aimed at strengthening ethical and regulatory frameworks, improving coordination between these bodies and supporting gradual harmonisation with international standards.
In terms of institutional strengthening, the institutional mapping revealed different levels of formalisation in coordination between National Regulatory Authorities and Ethics Committees across the five PALOP, highlighting opportunities for clearer definition of their respective roles and for more coordinated ethical and regulatory assessment of clinical trials.
The poster also presented the results of the professional capacity-building programme, based on a progressive training pathway that moves from foundational interdisciplinary training to advanced training and practical application. The first level, dedicated to ‘Ethical and Legal Requirements for the Development of Scientific and Clinical Research’, received 303 applications, with 234 professionals completing the programme, exceeding the initial target of 128 participants. More than 90% achieved a rating of ‘Good’ or higher.
The presentation in Montreal continues the international dissemination of CT-Luso at FIP World Congresses. In 2024, Hélder Mota Filipe presented the project at the Congress held in Cape Town, while in 2025, CT-Luso presented in Copenhagen the results of its legislative analysis of biomedical research and clinical trials in the five PALOP.
