The DEEP (DEferiprone Evaluation in Paediatrics) Project Open Meeting was held in Tirana at the Hotel Tirana International on May 18, 2015.
DEEP was a 4-year European research project (FP7) coordinated by CVBF. It included 28 recruitment sites located in 5 European countries (Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom), 5 non-European countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey), 16 scientific partners, and a pharmaceutical group located in Canada.
The Open Meeting was promoted by the Consortium for Biological and Pharmacological Evaluations (CVBF) in collaboration with the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” (UHCT). It served as an opportunity to highlight the progress made by clinical research in Albania and the importance of European Networks in creating synergies to spread excellence and attract European funds.
It included two thematic sessions:
- Clinical research in Albania
- Networks and projects in the global context
The meeting was accredited by QKEV and provided 5 CME credits for the training of healthcare professionals. All sessions were in English, but simultaneous English/Albanian translation was available.
The Open Meeting was scheduled as part of the sixth DEEP General Assembly, which was held from May 18 to 20, 2015, with the participation of the DEEP consortium as well as expert professionals. The General Assembly also hosted the fourth meeting of the Ethics Board and the DEEP-2 researchers meeting. A specific CRA training session and individual sessions on GCP, e-CRF, and drug management were available during the meeting.
DEEP was the first clinical trial in which the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” of Tirana (which represented the most important and main hospital in Albania) was officially involved, following the entry into force of the new Albanian law regarding clinical trials (July 2014) and the subsequent implementing decrees.
The inclusion of Albania in the DEEP study represented an important milestone for a country that was then managing its first non-profit pediatric trials. This paved the way for a new era for clinical research in Albania, aiming to improve the quality of clinical research in Albanian public institutions.
More details on the event and the agenda here.