There are multiple ethical challenges for conducting multi-regional clinical trials in developing countries, such as whether patients in developing countries are free to participate in research if access to essential medicines is tied to research, and how informed consent can be assessed and risks and benefits understood when the element of choice is so different.
The MRCT Center has developed an Essential Ethics Toolkit and E-Learning course that address these and other issues and is committed to transparency, dissemination, and harmonization.
Read more about this in: “Global Clinical Trials: Ethics, Harmonization and Commitment to Transparency,” published in Volume 5 of Harvard Public Health Review.