Control Groups on Trial: The Ethics of Testing Experimental Ebola Treatments
-
Carl H. Coleman
Abstract
Although randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are generally considered the “gold standard” for testing experimental treatments, their use for Ebola has been subject to strong criticism by prominent ethicists and international aid organizations, and only one of the ongoing Ebola treatment trials has been designed in this manner. This is not the first time that RCTs in developing countries have provoked ethical controversy, but the objections to the Ebola clinical trials are fundamentally different from the concerns that have been raised in the past. After briefing reviewing the ongoing research on experimental Ebola treatments, this Article examines the current controversies in the context of previous debates over the ethics of international clinical research. It concludes that RCTs provide the most reliable method for developing effective Ebola treatments, and that their methodological rigor is itself a persuasive ethical argument in favor of using them. However, limited departures from the methodologically ideal approach may be necessary to accommodate the expectations of participants and to promote community trust.
©2016 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Letter to the Editor
- Introduction to Volume VII
- Articles
- Control Groups on Trial: The Ethics of Testing Experimental Ebola Treatments
- Do Not Hit Print: The Impact of 3D Printing on Distributive Justice and Why Regulations are Necessary to Prevent Consumer 3D Vaccine Printers
- Dengue Fever: A Border Threat Without a Safety Net?
- The Elephant in the Room: Is HIV/AIDS a Present National Security Threat and What Needs to be Done to Combat this Issue?
- How Will TSA Handle the New Threat to Homeland Security—The Bioweapon?
- Drugs and Vaccines for Public Health Emergencies – A Comparative Law Analysis
- It’s a Small World After All: Dealing with the Aftermath of the Disneyland Measles Outbreak
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Letter to the Editor
- Introduction to Volume VII
- Articles
- Control Groups on Trial: The Ethics of Testing Experimental Ebola Treatments
- Do Not Hit Print: The Impact of 3D Printing on Distributive Justice and Why Regulations are Necessary to Prevent Consumer 3D Vaccine Printers
- Dengue Fever: A Border Threat Without a Safety Net?
- The Elephant in the Room: Is HIV/AIDS a Present National Security Threat and What Needs to be Done to Combat this Issue?
- How Will TSA Handle the New Threat to Homeland Security—The Bioweapon?
- Drugs and Vaccines for Public Health Emergencies – A Comparative Law Analysis
- It’s a Small World After All: Dealing with the Aftermath of the Disneyland Measles Outbreak
