The Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine held an Open Day at the Brikama District Hospital on 9th October 2019, sensitise hospital staff, community leaders, local authorities, journalists and the community on the Pregnancy Interventions in Mothers Relating to Diabetes in Asian India and Low-income countries (PRIMORDIAL) study trial.
The PRIMORDIAL study is a phase 3 randomised open-labelled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of fermented yoghurt and physical activity initiated in early pregnancy and continued to late pregnancy on the incidence of gestational diabetes (i.e. diabetes in pregnancy) in low- and middle-income countries.

Diabetes in pregnancy affects nearly 20 million women worldwide and the vast majority of these occur in low- and middle-income countries. Women who develop diabetes in pregnancy are at risk of developing diabetes later in their lives, hence the need for easy-to-implement lifestyle preventative strategies.

This is the first investigative study trial to be held on PRIMORDIAL. The trail will be conducted over a period of 18 months, with 950 expected recruits attending antenatal care at the Brikama District Hospital. The recruits will be identified in the first 3 months of their pregnancy.  Similarly, the same number will be recruited in Vellore, India.

Mrs Ramatoulie Jobe, Administrator at the Brikama District Hospital thanked the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM for the timely intervention, and assured them of the hospital’s full support.

Mrs Rose Mendy, who spoke on behalf of the Regional Health Director, highlighted the importance of the study trial in addressing pregnancy-related diabetes.

The study trial is led by Prof Andrew Prentice, Nutrition Theme Leader at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM. He thanked the people of The Gambia for their continued support to the Unit, and said that we will continue to work closely with the Government in identifying priority areas for research.

Dr Modou Jobe, Coordinator of this trial, thanked the authorities especially the Brikama District Hospital for the opportunity to conduct the study in their hospital, demonstrating the close collaboration between the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM and the Government and people of The Gambia.

In his closing remarks, Mr Mam Sait Jallow, CEO of Brikama Area Council assured the public that the trial has undergone all necessary approvals, and thanked the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM for the study.

The study is a collaboration between the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, the University of Oxford, and the Christian Medical College in Vellore (India).