Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic creates an unprecedented threatening situation worldwide with an urgent need for critical reflection and new knowledge production, but also a need for imminent action despite prevailing knowledge gaps and multilevel uncertainty. With regard to the role of research ethics in these pandemic times some argue in favor of exceptionalism, others, including the authors of this paper, emphasize the urgent need to remain committed to core ethical principles and fundamental human rights obligations all reflected in research regulations and guidelines carefully crafted over time. In this paper we disentangle some of the arguments put forward in the ongoing debate about Covid-19 human challenge studies (CHIs) and the concomitant role of health-related research ethics in pandemic times. We suggest it might be helpful to think through a lens differentiating between risk, strict uncertainty and ignorance. We provide some examples of lessons learned by harm done in the name of research in the past and discuss the relevance of this legacy in the current situation.
Highlights
These are uncertain times—for all, wherever one lives, and whatever one aspires to know about the Covid-19 pandemic
With regard to the role of research ethics in these pandemic times some argue in favor of exceptionalism, others, including the authors of this paper, emphasize the urgent need to remain committed to core ethical principles and fundamental human rights obligations all reflected in research regulations and guidelines carefully crafted over time
The aim of this paper is to address the ongoing debate about Covid-19 controlled human infection studies (CHIs) and discuss the concomitant role of medical and health-related research ethics in the present situation
Summary
These are uncertain times—for all, wherever one lives, and whatever one aspires to know about the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to address the ongoing debate about Covid-19 CHIs and discuss the concomitant role of medical and health-related research ethics in the present situation. Where there is an urgent need for developing effective methods of detection, treatment, and prevention to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and notably in ways that minimize harm and that benefit all human beings. The issues we discuss here are relevant beyond the Covid-19 pandemic; above all they concern how we should navigate (research ethics) in times of great threats to individual, public and population health and under conditions where different forms of uncertainty still prevail.. The British Medical Association’s report on biomedical research and human rights states: «Research is driven by a desire to understand the causes of disease or dysfunction and find effective methods of prevention and treatment.” the report continues, “even such humanitarian aims can be risky”, in particular under circumstances perceived as extreme or exceptional.. The British Medical Association’s report on biomedical research and human rights states: «Research is driven by a desire to understand the causes of disease or dysfunction and find effective methods of prevention and treatment.” the report continues, “even such humanitarian aims can be risky”, in particular under circumstances perceived as extreme or exceptional. In the report, nine risk-factors for abusive research are identified, of which three are of particular relevance in the present context: (1) the perception of an urgent and overriding scientific need; (2) the perception of a national necessity or government pressure to conduct research; and (3) the situation of contingent populations chosen as research subjects.
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