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FDA abandons the Declaration of Helsinki: The effect on the ethical aspects of clinical trial conduct in South Africa and other developing countries
Abstract
The FDA’s adoption of less morally stringent guidelines could encourage pharmaceutical companies to take ethical short cuts. It could also have practical consequences for trial ethics in developing countries, especially where research ethics committees may not be promoting high standards of protection for participants in clinical trials, due to lack of financial and human resources.
Pharmaceutical companies may also pressurise research ethics committees to relax guidelines and legislation, in order to facilitate future clinical trials in developing and emerging countries that lack the resources to conduct their own clinical research on epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, which have devastating effects on their populations.
Authors' affiliations
L J Burgess, Tread Research CC/Cardiology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
D Pretorius, Andurihl Medical Writing CC
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Date published: 2012-11-23
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