international ethical guidelines for biomedical research involving human subjects

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BIOETHICS INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN

SUBJECTS Kristine Ane Bumatnong September 25, 2013

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INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR BIOMEDICAL

RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

(Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences [CIOMS]

in collaboration with WHO, Geneva, 1993)

INFORMED CONSENT OF SUBJECTS

Guideline 1: Individual Informed Consent

For all biomedical research involving human subjects, the

investigator must obtain the informed consent of theprospective subject or, in the case of an individual who is

not capable of giving informed consent, the proxy

consent of a properly authorized representative.

Guideline 2: Essential Information For Prospective Research

Subjects

Before requesting an individuals consent to participate

in research, the investigator must provide the individual

with the following information, in language that he or

she is capable of understanding:

That each individual is invited to participate as asubject in research ,and the aims and methods of the

research;

The expected duration ofthe subjects participation; The benefits that might reasonably be expected to

result to the subject or to others as an outcome of

the research;

Any foreseeable risks or discomfort to the subject,associated with participation in the research;

Any alternative procedures or courses of treatmentthat might be as advantageous to the subject as the

procedure or treatment being tested;

The extent to which confidentiality of records inwhich the subject is identified will be maintained;

The extent of the investigators responsibility, if any,to provide medical services to the subject;

That therapy will be provided free of charge forspecified types of research-related injury;

Whether the subject or the subjects family ordependents will be compensated for disability or

death resulting from such injury; and

That the individual is free to refuse to participateand will be free to withdraw from the research at

any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which

he or she would otherwise be entitled.

Guidelines 3: Obligations of Investigaotrs Regarding

Informed Consent

The investigator has a duty to:

Communicate to the prospective subject all theinformation necessary for adequately informed

consent;

Give the prospective subject full opportunity andencouragement to ask questions;

Exclude the possibility of unjustified deception,undue influence and intimidation;

Seek consent only after the prospective subject hasadequate knowledge of the relevant facts and of the

consequences of participation, and has had

sufficient opportunity to consider whether to

participate;

As a general rule, obtain from each prospectivesubject a signed form as evidence of informed

consent; and

Renew the informed consent of each subject if thereare material changes in the conditions or procedures

of the research.

Guideline 4: Inducement To Participate

Subjects may be paid for inconvenience and time spent

and should be reimbursed for expenses incurred, in

connection with their participation in research; they may

also receive free medical services.

However, the payments should not be so large or the

medical services so extensive as to induce prospective

subjects to consent to participate in the research against

their better judgment (under inducement).

All payments, reimbursement, and medical services to be

provided to research subjects should be approved by anethical review committee.

Guidelines 5: Research Involving Children

Before undertaking research involving children, the

investigator must ensure that:

Children will not be involved in research that mightequally well be carried out with adults;

The purpose of the research is to obtain knowledgerelevant to the health needs of children;

A parent or legal guardian of each child has givenproxy consent;

The consent of each child has been obtained to theextent of the childs capabilities;

The childs refusal to participate in research mustalways be respected unless according to the

research protocol the child would receive therapy

for which there is no medically acceptable

alternative;

The risk presented by interventions not intended tobenefit the individual child-subject is low and

commensurate with the importance of the

knowledge to be gained; and

Interventions that are intended to providetherapeutic benefit are likely to be at least as

advantageous to the individual chid-subject as anyavailable alternative.

Guideline 6: Research Involving Persons With Mental Or

Behavioral Disorders

Before undertaking research involving individuals who by

reason of mental or behavioral disorders are not capable

of giving adequately informed consent, the investigato

must ensure that:

Such persons will not be subjects of research thatmight equally well be carried out on persons in ful

possession of their mental faculties;


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The purpose of the research is to obtain knowledgerelevant to the particular health needs of persons

with mental or behavioral disorders;

The consent of each subject has been obtained tothe extent of that subjects capabilities, and a

prospective subjects refusal to participate in non-

clinical research is always respected;

In the case of incompetent subjects, informedconsent is obtained from the legal guardian or other

duly authorized person;

The degree of risk attached to interventions that arenot intended to benefit the individual subject is low

and commensurate with the importance of the

knowledge to be gained; and

Interventions that are intended to providetherapeutic benefit are likely to be at least as

advantageous to the individual subject as any

alternative.

Guideline 7: Research Involving Prisoners

Prisoners with serious illness or at risk of serious illnessshould not arbitrarily be denied access to investigational

drugs vaccines, or other agents that show promise of

therapeutic or preventive benefit.

Guideline 8: Research Involving Subject In Underdeveloped

Communities

Before undertaking research involving subjects in

underdeveloped communities, whether in developed or

developing countries, the investigator must ensure that:

Persons in underdeveloped communities will notordinarily be involved in research that could be

carried out reasonably well in developed

communities;

The research is responsive to the health needs andthe priorities of the community in which it is to be

carried out;

Every effort will be made to secure the ethicalimperative that the consent of individual subjects be

informed;

The proposals for the research have been reviewedand approved by an ethical review committee that

has among its members or consultants persons who

are thoroughly familiar with the customs and

tradition of the community.

Guideline 9: Informed Consent In Epidemiological Studies

For several types of epidemiological research individual

informed consent is either impractical or inadvisable. In

such cases the ethical review committee should

determine whether it is ethically acceptable to proceed

without individual informed consent and whether the

investigators plan to protect the safety and respect the

privacy of research subjects and to maintain the

confidentiality of the data are adequate.

Guidline10: Equitable Distribution Of Burdens And Benefits

Individuals or communities to be invited to be subjects o

research should be selected in such a way that the

burdens and benefits of the research will be equitably

distributed. Special justification is required for inviting

vulnerable individuals and, if they are selected, the

means of protecting their rights and welfare must be

particularly strictly applied.

Guideline 11: Selection Of Pregnant Or Nursing (Breast-

Feeding) Women As Research Subjects

Pregnant or nursing women should in no circumstances

be the subjects of non-clinical research unless the

research carries no more than minimal risk to the fetus

or nursing infant and the object of the research is to

obtain new knowledge about pregnancy or lactation.

As a general rule, pregnant or nursing women should not

be subjects of any clinical trials except such trials as are

designed to protect or advance the health of pregnant or

nursing women or fetuses or nursing infants, and for

which women who are not pregnant or nursing would

not be suitable subjects

Guideline 12: Safeguarding Confidentiality

The investigator must establish secure safeguards of the

confidentiality of research data.

Subjects should be told of the limits to the investigators

ability to safeguard confidentiality and of the anticipated

consequences of breaches of confidentiality.

Guideline 13: Right Of Subjects To Compensation

Research subjects who suffer physical inury as a result of

their participation are entitled to such financial or other

assistance as would compensate them equitable for any

temporary or permanent impairment or disability.

In the case of death, their dependents are entitled to

material compensation. The right to compensation may

not be waived.

Guideline 14: Constitution And Responsibilities Of Ethica

Review Committees

All proposals to conduct research involving human

subjects must be submitted for review and approval to

one or more independent ethical and scientific review

committees.

The investigator must obtain such approval of the

proposal to conduct research before the research isbegun.

Guideline 15: Obligations Of Sponsoring And Host Countries

Externally sponsored research entails two ethica

obligations:

An external sponsoring agency should submit theresearch protocol to ethical and scientific review

according to the standards of the country of the

sponsoring agency, and the ethical standard applied

should be no less exacting than they would be in the

case of research carried out in that country.


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After scientific an ethical approval, authorities of thehost country, including a national or local ethical

review committee or its equivalent, should satisfy

themselves that the proposed research meets their

own ethical requirements.

WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION DECLARATION OF HELSINKI

I. Basic Principles

1. Biomedical research involving human subjects mostconform to generally accepted scientific principles

and should be based on adequately performed

laboratory and animal experimentation and a

thorough knowledge of the scientific literature.

2. The design and performance of each experimentalprocedure involving human subjects should be

clearly formulated in an experimental protocol

which should be transmitted for consideration,

comment, and guidance to a specially appointed

committee independent of the investigator and the

sponsor, provided that his independent committee is

in conformity with the laws and regulations of thecountry in which the research experiment is

performed.

3. Biomedical research involving human subjectsshould be conducted only by scientifically qualified

persons and under the supervision of a clinically

competent medical person. The responsibility for the

human subject must always rest with a medically

qualified person and never rest on the subject of the

research, even though the subject has given his or

her consent.

4. Biomedical research involving human subjectscannot legitimately be carried out unless the

importance of the objective is in proportion to the

inherent risk to the subject.

5. Every biomedical research project involving humansubjects should be preceded by careful assessment

of predictable risks in comparison with foreseeable

benefits to the subject or to others. Concern for the

interests of the subject must always prevail over the

interests of science and society.

6. The right of the research subject to safeguard his orher integrity must always be respected. Every

precaution should be taken to respect the privacy of

the subject and to minimize the impact of the study

on th subjects physical and mental integrity and onthe personality of the subject.

7. Physicians should abstain from engaging in researchprojects involving human subjects unless they are

satisfied that they hazards involved ar believed to be

predictable. Physicians should cease any

investigation if the hazards are found to outweigh

the potential benefits.

8. In publication of the results of his or her research,the physician is obliged to preserve the accuracy of

the results. Reports of experimentation not in

accordance with the principles laid down in this

Declaration should not be accepted for publication.

9. In any research on human beings, each potentiasubject must be adequately informed of the aims,

methods, anticipated benefits, and potential hazards

of the study and the discomfort it may entail. He or

she should be informed that he or she is at liberty to

abstain from participation in the study and that he

or she is free to withdraw his or her consent to

participation at any time. The physician should then

obtain the subjects freely-given informed consent

preferably in writing.

10. When obtaining informed consent for the researchprojects the physician should be particularly cautious

if the subjects is in a dependent relationship to him

or her or may consent under duress. In that case the

informed consent should be obtained by a physician

who is not engaged in the investigation and who is

completely independent of this official relationship.

11. In case of legal incompetence, informed consentshould be obtained from the legal guardian inaccordance with national legislation. Where physica

or mental incapacity makes it impossible to obtain

informed consent or when the subject is a minor

permission from the responsible relative replaces

that of the subject in accordance with nationa

legislation.

Whenever the minor child is in fact able to give

a consent, the minors consent must be

obtained in addition to the consent of the

minors legal guardian.

12. The research protocol should always contain astatement of the ethical considerations involved and

should indicate that the principles enunciated in the

present Declaration are complied with.

II. Medical Research Combined With Professional Care

(Clinical Research)

1. In the treatment of the sick person, the physicianmust be free to use a new diagnostic and

therapeutic measure, if in his or her judgment it

offers hope of saving life, re-establishing health, o

alleviating suffering.

2. The potential benefits, hazards, and discomfort of anew method should be weighted against the

advantages of the best current diagnostic andtherapeutic methods.

3. In any medical study, every patient-including thoseof control group, if any should be assured of the

best proven diagnostic and therapeutic method.

4. If the physician considers it essential not to obtaininformed consent, the specific reasons for this

proposal should be stated in the experimenta

protocol for transmission to the independen

committee.

5. The physician can combine medical research withprofessional care, the objective being the acquisition


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of new medical knowledge, only to the extent that

medical research is justified by its potential

diagnostic or therapeutic value for the patient.

III. Non-Therapeutic Biomedical Research Involving Human

Subjects (Non-Clinical Biomedical Research)

1. In the purely scientific application of medicalresearch carried out on a human being, it is the duty

of the physician to remain the protector of the life

and health of that person on whom biomedical

research is being carried out.

2. The subjects should be volunteers either healthypersons or patients for whom the experimental

design is not related to the patients illness.

3. The investigator or the investigating team shoulddiscontinue the research if in his/her or their

judgment it may, if continued, be harmful to the

individual.

4. In research on man, the interest of science andsociety should never take precedence over

considerations related to the well-being of thesubject.

THE PHASES OF CLINICAL TRIAL OF VACCINES AND DRUGS

VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

Phase I - First introduction of a candidate vaccine into ahuman population for initial determination of its

safety and biological effects, including

immunogenicity.

- studies ofdose and route of administration- fewer than 100 volunteers.

Phase II - Initial trails examining effectiveness- limited number of volunteers (usually between

200 and 500).

- Focus: immunogenicityPhase III - Intended for more complete assessment of

safety and effectiveness in the prevention of

disease

- larger number of volunteers in a multicentre- adequately controlled study.

DRUG DEVELOPMENT

Phase I - First introduction of a drug into humans.- Normal volunteer subjects are usually studied to

determine levels of drugs at which toxicity is

observed.- Followed by dose-ranging studies in patients for

safety and, in some cases, early evidence of

effectiveness.

Phase II - Controlled clinical trials designed todemonstrate effectiveness and relative safety.

- Limited number ofclosely monitored patients.Phase III - Performed after a reasonable probability of

effectiveness of drug and has been established

- Intended to gather additional evidence ofeffectiveness for specific indications and more

precise definition of drug-related adverse

effects.

- Includes both controlled and uncontrolledstudies.

Phase

IV

- Controlled after the national drug registrationauthority has approved a drug for distribution o

marketing.

- May include research designed to:a.Explore a specific pharmacological effect, to

establish the incidence of adverse

reactions, or to determine the effects o

long-term administration of a drug.

b. Evaluate a drug in a population not studiedadequately in the premarketing phases

(such as children or the elderly) or to

establish a new clinical indication for a

drug.

- Such research is to be distinguished frommarketing research, sales promotion studies

and routine postmarketing surveillance fo

adverse drug reactions in that these categories

ordinarily need not be reviewed by ethicareview committees.

international ethical guidelines for biomedical research involving human subjects

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