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Ethics committees for biomedical research in some African emerging countries: which establishment for which independence? A comparison with the USA and Canada
  1. Jean-Paul Rwabihama1,2,
  2. Catherine Girre3,
  3. Anne-Marie Duguet2
  1. 1Joffre-Dupuytren Hospital (AP-HP), Draveil, France
  2. 2INSERM Unit 558, Faculty of Medicine, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France
  3. 3Faculty of Medicine, Paris Diderot University, Paris, France
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jean-Paul Rwabihama, Joffre-Dupuytren Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), 1 rue Louis Camatte, 91210 Draveil, France; jean-paul.rwabihama{at}jfr.aphp.fr

Abstract

Context The conduct of medical research led by Northern countries in developing countries raises ethical questions. The assessment of research protocols has to be twofold, with a first reading in the country of origin and a second one in the country where the research takes place. This reading should benefit from an independent local ethical review of protocols. Consequently, ethics committees for medical research are evolving in Africa.

Objective To investigate the process of establishing ethics committees and their independence.

Method Descriptive study of 25 African countries and two North American countries. Data were recorded by questionnaire and interviews. Two visits of ethics committee meetings were conducted on the ground: over a period of 3 months in Kigali (Rwanda) and 2 months in Washington DC (USA).

Results 22 countries participated in this study, 20 from Africa and two from North America. The response rate was 80%. 75% of local African committees developed into national ethics committees. During the last 5 years, these national committees have grown on a structural level. The circumstances of creation and the general context of underdevelopment remain the major challenges in Africa. Their independence could not be ensured without continuous training and efficient funding mechanisms. Institutional ethics committees are well established in USA and in Canada, whereas ethics committees in North America are weakened by the institutional affiliation of their members.

Conclusion The process of establishing ethics committees could affect their functioning and compromise their independence in some African countries and in North America.

  • Ethics Committees
  • establishment
  • independence
  • Africa
  • North America
  • Ethics Committees/Consultation
  • Policy Guidelines/Inst. Review Boards/review Cttes

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Footnotes

  • Funding International Institute of Research in Ethics and Biomedicine, Montreal University, Canada.

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.

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