In Hunting for Cures, Ethics Can Strengthen Clinical Trials

Clinical trials provide the cornerstone for evaluating the safety and efficacy of new drugs and therapies to treat disease. While trials are designed to follow established ethical and regulatory requirements, Alex John London , the Clara L. West Professor of Ethics and Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, said he believes there is room for improvement. "Studies that lack social value aren't morally benign," said London, who is the first author on a study examining the ethics of clinical trial portfolios published in the August issue of The Hastings Center Report. "They harm patients, suck up resources that could be used elsewhere and [put additional] cost burdens on healthcare systems that are already strapped." - In Search of Treatments. People have the impression that drug development follows an orderly progression where the results of previous studies inform future research. According to London, this is an over simplification and is not always true. In reality, clinical trials are more complex.