Ethical Dilemmas Associated With Profit-Driven Research in Developing Countries

Abstract

The phenomenal growth of the global pharmaceutical sales, which exceeded $US one trillion in revenues in 2014 alone, has resulted in the growing ethical concerns associated with the need for the unprecedented search for human test subjects to participate in clinical drug trials - particularly in middle and low-income countries – and concerns about possible exploitation. While this expansion has provided access to vital medical resources that would have otherwise been unattainable for this population - this outsourcing also created problems which may be termed as exploitation – such as faulty trials at times, and manipulation of data about the benefits and risks of the drugs being tested on the populations in developing countries. Although the United States and European countries have sponsored much biomedical research in developing countries, they considered their work done once the trials concluded, and this has been criticized and termed as “safari research,” – which is a form of exploitation of developing countries and their populations from which research subjects are recruited. These trials do not address the needs of the developing countries and contribute to the exploitation of some of the most “vulnerable” populations. It is unethical to enter a country, set up facilities for research then leave with the healthcare personnel and equipment after giving hope to its people of some form of benefit. Several historical events have led to the awareness of the need for protecting research subjects. There is a need for a better understanding of what constitutes as exploitations, to ensure researchers make ethical decisions with planning and implementation of research involving research participants. The paper looks at the ethical issues and their importance in international research, and the double standards that are of growing concern in profit-driven research in low-income countries by developed sponsor countries, while also making recommendations for preventing exploitations.