Ethical implications of clinical trials in Tunisia
Chadly, A.
La Tunisie Medicale 82(11): 985-989
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-4131 PMID: 15822465 Document Number: 575680
Clinical trials are necessary for medical advancement. They must respect legal obligations. Ethical questions related to protection of the human being's rights are yielded by these trials. Joining research to medical core is problematical in consideration of patient's consent to clinical trial. Exclusion by the Tunisian law of persons under age, pregnant or breast-feeding women from medical experimentation in the aim of protecting them against clinical research adverse events or abuses is ethically questionable since it deprives them from a possible medical progress. So why not to involve them in clinical research when there is an expected benefit, after bringing them protection as vulnerable persons like we should do for instance for the elderly, handicapped persons or prisoners. Legal creation of research ethics committees is important for the respect of experimentation rules on human beings.