Trials of Tenofovir: Mediating Ethics in Third-World Research

21 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2007

See all articles by Peter J. Hammer

Peter J. Hammer

Wayne State University Law School

Tammy Lundstrom

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Abstract

A clash between a union of Cambodian sex workers and a team of international researchers funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation led to the cancellation of an important HIV/AIDS prevention study. The union was demanding better disclosure of information, insurance against the threat of long-term study-related side effects, and assurances of future access to the study drug (tenofovir) if it proved effective in preventing HIV transmission. The union was also demanding to be taken seriously as a stakeholder in the joint fight against HIV/AIDS. The Cambodian controversy highlights the inability of first world ethical standards to meet the needs of international medical research. A study protocol obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval in the U.S. or Australia cannot simply be exported to a country like Cambodia. This article details the science and politics of the tenofovir trials and explores how the tensions of third world research might be better mediated in light of emerging international standards

Suggested Citation

Hammer, Peter Joseph and Lundstrom, Tammy, Trials of Tenofovir: Mediating Ethics in Third-World Research. Wayne State University Law School Research Paper No. 07-42, Santa Clara Univ. Legal Studies Research Paper No. 4, Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 9, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1059161

Peter Joseph Hammer (Contact Author)

Wayne State University Law School ( email )

471 Palmer
Detroit, MI 48202
United States

Tammy Lundstrom

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
109
Abstract Views
822
Rank
535,076
PlumX Metrics