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| home > epc > winter 2002 > the ethics of research related to health care in developing countries - implications of the report for the pharmaceutical industry |
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European Pharmaceutical Contractor
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Medical research in developing countries that is funded by organisations in wealthy countries is crucial, but it must be subject to rigorous ethical safeguards, according to a recently published report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. While acknowledging that some externally-funded research has been controversial in the past, the report, The Ethics of Research Related to Healthcare in Developing Countries, highlights the need to continue to support future research, provided it is appropriately planned and effectively reviewed on scientific and ethical grounds. The report is the outcome of two years of consultation by an international working party, which included experts from the fields of medicine, health care, anthropology, philosophy and public policy.
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics set up the working party in 2000, partly in response to the international controversies surrounding HIV research in Thailand and Africa. Additionally, there has recently been a significant increase in health care research in developing countries, supported by a variety of different sponsors. Sponsors range from multinational pharmaceutical companies and voluntary organisations to governments and international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). While some forms of sponsorship have been altruistic, others have been driven by academic interests or by economic considerations. These interests do not necessarily reflect national priorities for research in the country in which the research is to be conducted.
Developing countries urgently need research to help relieve the enormous burden of disease they carry, including diseases such as TB and malaria. But many countries have limited funds and a lack of trained staff to conduct their own research. Each year £35-40 billion is spent on health care research worldwide but only 10 per cent of this is devoted to the health problems of 90 per cent of the world's population. It is vital that both the public and private sectors in developed countries sponsor research to help bridge the gap.
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