On the commercial exploitation of participants of research.
نویسنده
چکیده
In a recent editorial in this journal,' Tony Hope argues that no-fault compensation for injury to participants of research is the job of parliament, and that participation in research should proceed on a primarily altruistic basis. Dr Hope fails to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial research. Many participants of clinical trials are being commercially exploited by pharmaceutical companies and (sometimes inadvertently) by many doctors acting in the interests of pharmaceutical companies. The involvement of pharmaceutical companies in the development of new drugs has little to do with altruism. It is business. Indeed, pharmaceutical companies have consistently failed to engage in research into human diseases, such as malaria, for which effective medical interventions are urgently needed, at least from a humanitarian perspective, but which have low profit margins. Instead they continue to dedicate themselves to producing tiny increments in length or quality of life in the more lucrative Western diseases of ischaemic heart disease and cancer. In helping to promote the development of a profitable product, participants in commercial research should be offered appropriate payment (forget the arguments about inducement: it is no greater inducement than an inducement to take a risky job) and financial compensation if they are injured in participating in a project expected to bring profit to a company. Participating in commercial clinical research is a short term job and should be recognised as such. It is true that participants in research may derive some health benefits from experimental drugs. But so, too, do most jobs offer fringe benefits apart from salary. However, in a capitalist society, costs are largely passed onto the end-consumers of products, not those who contribute to the development of those products. Pharmaceutical and other medical interventions should be treated no differently. The only workers not typically offered fair compensation and salary are slaves, and many participants of medical research remain the unwilling slaves of pharmaceutical multinationals. The fact that they have consented to what is in effect pharmaceutical indenture does not vitiate the wrongness of their not being offered appropriate payment and compensation for their labour. Dr Hope's editorial sadly does little to acknowledge the existence of this caste of unwitting slaves and still less to liberate them.
منابع مشابه
Comparative study of Commercial exploitation of athletes' reputation In the legal systems of the United States, uk and Iran
Athletes are among the community reference groups that, according to their followers, their behavior patterns have an impact on the behavior of other members of the community. The same scope of influence encourages business firm to use them in their commercial ads. Certainly, this will not be a problem if the athlete is satisfied with the prior consent, but the main issue is where the business ...
متن کاملPopulation dynamics of the shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus in the Yemeni Red Sea waters
Length-based analyses were conducted to assess the stock of the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus. Monthly carapace length frequency data were collected from commercial catches at two main landing sites on the Yemeni Red Sea coast for eight months. Growth parameters, mortalities, exploitation rate and yield per recruit were estimated for this species in this area. The estimated growth par...
متن کاملGrowth, mortality and exploitation of Buccaneer anchovy (Encrasicholina punctifer Fowler, 1938) from the north Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
The population parameters of Encrasicholina punctifer (Buccaneer anchovy) from commercial fishery in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea coastal waters were studied from October 2014 to September 2015. A total of 13951 length-frequency data collected monthly by pair-boat purse seine and beach seine methods. The asymptotic length (L∞) and Von Bertalanffy growth function (K) were 11.5 cm and K = 1.4 pe...
متن کاملPopulation dynamics of the shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus in the Yemeni Red Sea waters
Length-based analyses were conducted to assess the stock of the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus. Monthly carapace length frequency data were collected from commercial catches at two main landing sites on the Yemeni Red Sea coast for eight months. Growth parameters, mortalities, exploitation rate and yield per recruit were estimated for this species in this area. The estimated growth par...
متن کاملStudy on some population dynamics parameters of Sardinella sindensis (Day, 1878) in Coastal waters of Jask Province
Sind sardine Sardinella sindensis (Day, 1878) is the most important ecological and commercial surface resources in Persian Gulf and Oman sea. This study was carried to study some population dynamics parameters of Sind sardine in Coastal waters of Jask Province during January 2011 to December 2012. A totall 2887 specimens were collected from commercial fishing Purse seiners, monthly. Biometric p...
متن کاملAmerican Indian adolescent girls: vulnerability to sex trafficking, intervention strategies.
The Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center offers harm reduction programming to at-risk adolescent American Indian girls, including outreach, case management, advocacy, healthy sexuality education, and support groups. To evaluate program impact, participants are assessed at intake and every 6 months afterward for current vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation, violence, and addiction...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Journal of medical ethics
دوره 23 6 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 1997