Individual patient data meta-analysis: a cost-effective and efficient tool to advance paediatric research in low- and middle-income countries

There is a deficit between existing levels of paediatric clinical research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and what is warranted based on the disease burden in children in these countries. Lack of market protections, low ability to pay and cost-based pricing are key commercial barriers to industry-funded paediatric research and access to paediatric formulations of therapeutics in LMICs. Individual patient data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) taking advantage of existing clinical trials, enabled by data sharing, is one potential tool to bridge the research gap in a cost-effective and efficient way. Recent IPD-MAs of paediatric antimalarial drug safety and efficacy enabled by the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), part of the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.