Opportunities and challenges for clinical and cardiovascular research in Latin America

Latin America in the past two decades has increasingly become a significant contributor of clinical research. The future capacity of clinical and specifically cardiovascular research has the potential to positively affect human health in the region and foster economic growth. However, the challenges of conducting clinical research in Latin America include a need for logistical support from local governments, continued commitment to education of physicians and ethics committees, and creation of oversight bodies to guarantee the highest quality of research. Bibliometric analyses were conducted to assess trends in clinical research. Latin American investigators demonstrated a tendency to publish clinical results in local and regional journals. The region offers many opportunities for clinical research including large treatment-naive patient populations and most importantly motivated investigators capable of producing high-quality results. Strategies to foster clinical research in Latin America must be based on development of a positive regulatory environment, leveraged protection of intellectual property, creation of alliances between private and public sectors with incentives for investment in science and technology, and finally focus on areas of clinical expertise such as cardiovascular disease, epidemiology, gastroenterology, and infectious diseases. Fostering the creation of research alliances across and between continents will help in establishing the supportive environment for dissemination of important ethical clinical research in the region.