EMINENCE : Recent Progress Towards the Elimination of Onchocerciasis
OUR NEWS
Obtaining ethical clearance for the implementation of the EMINENCE project
The EMINENCE project consortium has obtained national ethical clearance for the implementation of the community trial, one of the three core pillars of the project. This milestone marks a decisive step toward the effective launch of research activities in the health districts of Monatélé, Ebebda, Ntui and Bafia.
The authorization, granted by the National Ethics Committee of Research for Human Health (CNERSH), confirms the study’s compliance with scientific, ethical and regulatory standards, as well as its adherence to fundamental principles for the protection of study participants and the communities involved.
As a reminder, the EMINENCE project is built on an integrated approach, structured around seven complementary work packages, designed to generate robust, policy-relevant evidence to inform public health decision-making. Below, we highlight three of these components.
Community trial component
The first component consists of a community-based trial aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a new treatment, Moxidectin, compared with the treatment currently used under Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI), namely Mectizan.
Acceptability component
The second component focuses on the acceptability of the intervention among communities, health actors and local stakeholders. This work package seeks to understand perceptions, attitudes and socio-cultural factors that may influence uptake, ownership and long-term sustainability of the intervention. The findings will help identify key facilitators and barriers to successful scale-up.
Economic component
The third component is dedicated to an economic evaluation, analysing the costs associated with the implementation of the EMINENCE project. This study aims to rigorously estimate the resources mobilised and to compare these costs with those of the current strategy, particularly Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI).
Funded by the European Union, the EMINENCE project contributes to the generation of high-quality evidence to improve strategies for the control of neglected tropical diseases and to strengthen evidence-based health policies.
A collective momentum to support the launch of community trials
The EMINENCE project is built around three complementary pillars, including an innovative community trial designed to assess the effectiveness of a new medicine, moxidectin, in comparison with the reference treatment currently used against onchocerciasis, ivermectin.
Under this approach, certain intervention areas are expected to receive moxidectin, while others will receive ivermectin, in order to enable a rigorous comparative analysis. The objective comparison between these two areas relies in particular on the prior implementation of mass ivermectin treatment, known as CDTI (Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin), which is usually conducted by the National Program for Onchocerciasis (NPCO).
Recent changes in the international funding landscape, marked by budgetary adjustments at USAID level, have led to a temporary interruption of these CDTI campaigns. This situation has had an impact on the project’s initial timetable and has required collective reflection to safeguard its objectives and continuity.
In response to this challenge, a coordinated mobilisation of several stakeholders, working in close collaboration with the national programme, was initiated to identify appropriate solutions. This dynamic process of consultation, advocacy and partnership made it possible to identify opportunities for complementary funding to support the planned activities.
Within this framework, Helen Keller International was able to secure and mobilise financial resources in support of the National Programme for the Control of Onchocerciasis. This support makes it possible to resume mass ivermectin treatments at the beginning of 2026, thereby creating favourable conditions for the effective launch of the EMINENCE project.
About Us
The EMINENCE project is dedicated to eliminating onchocerciasis in Africa through innovative clinical research and the evaluation of moxidectin to enhance disease control and accelerate eradication efforts.
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