The International Research Panel Presents Recommendations to Bioethics Commission
Washington, D.C. – Today representatives of the International Research Panel, a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, presented the Panel’s proceedings to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. “Research Across Borders: the Proceedings of the International Research Panel of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues” includes findings and recommendations as well as summaries from each of the Panel’s three meetings. The Commission will use the document to help inform it as it continues its deliberation of standards for protecting human subjects in scientific studies.
Following the revelation last fall that the U.S. PHS supported research on sexually transmitted diseases in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948, President Obama tasked the Bioethics Commission with two assignments: 1. oversee a thorough fact-finding investigation into the specifics of the research in Guatemala (due in September); and 2. assure him that current rules for research participants protect people from harm or unethical treatment, domestically as well as internationally (due in December).
The International Research Panel was assembled in early March to advise the Commission on the effectiveness of current federal rules and international standards for research involving human subjects.
Over the course of three meetings in Philadelphia, London, and Washington the Panel was able to discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of current U.S. and International standards and craft its recommendations.
A copy of the proceedings has now been posted here and will be printed in the Federal Register. The Commission will take public comment on the Panel’s recommendations. The Commission will use both the Panel’s recommendations and resulting public comments to inform its final report to President Obama which is due to the President in December.
The Panel members hail from many countries, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Russia, Uganda, Belgium, and the United States. The Panel includes experts on medical ethics, science and clinical research who bring wide experience from academia, government, and industry.
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- Read the report.
