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Practicing research ethics: private-sector physicians & pharmaceutical clinical trials
1Arizona State University, Women & Gender Studies, PO Box 874902, Tempe, AZ 85287-4902, USA. jill.a.fisher@asu.edu
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|March 21, 2008
Summary
Primary care physicians in contract research often prioritize pharmaceutical company relationships over patient welfare. Their financial ties influence ethical considerations more than regulatory compliance in clinical trials.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Clinical Research
- Sociology of Medicine
Background:
- Physicians have historically navigated ethical considerations in research.
- The pharmaceutical industry's role in funding contract research has grown significantly.
- Evolving regulations aim to protect human subjects in clinical trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how primary care physicians construct research ethics when conducting contract research for pharmaceutical companies in the USA.
- To examine the influence of financial relationships on physicians' ethical responsibilities towards patients/subjects and industry sponsors.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative fieldwork conducted over 12 months in the Southwestern US.
- Analysis drawing on historical studies of physicians as investigators.
- Focus on physicians engaged in contract research for the pharmaceutical industry.
Main Results:
- Physicians develop tacit systems of research ethics, shifting from historical professional codes.
- Ethical conduct is primarily conceptualized in relation to pharmaceutical companies, not human subjects.
- Financial relationships with the pharmaceutical industry significantly influence physicians' researcher identities and ethical responsibilities.
Conclusions:
- Physicians in private-sector contract research may prioritize industry relationships due to financial incentives.
- Existing formal regulations for human subject protection may be overshadowed by industry influence.
- Further examination of ethical frameworks in industry-sponsored research is warranted.
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