International Research Panel of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues Reports Recommendations

Last week, on August 30, 2011, the International Research Panel presented its review, “Research Across Borders: Proceedings of the International Research Panel of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues” to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. 

The Panel’s recommendations include:

1. Researchers must demonstrate respect for human subjects and their communities in all phases of clinical trial design and implementation. Recognizing other cultural standards and practices through community engagement is one concrete means of showing respect.
2. Funders of human subjects research should support ethics training for investigators and others, including IRB members.
3. Greater efforts are needed to enhance transparency, monitor ongoing research, and hold researchers and institutions responsible and accountable for violations of applicable rules, standards, and practices. To enhance transparency and accountability, governments should consider requiring all greater than minimal risk research to be registered and results reported.
4. The United States should implement a system to compensate research subjects for research-related injuries.
5. Continued efforts to harmonize and guide interpretation of rules should be made a priority over creating new rules.

Assembled in March 2011, the Panel crafted its findings, recommendations, and proceedings, over meetings in Philadelphia, London, and Washington, DC. The review will be used by the Commission as it continues deliberation of standards for human subjects protections in scientific studies, as directed by President Barack Obama last fall.

To read the Panel’s findings, recommendations, and proceedings in its entirety, please click here.