Richards, Adair D. (2020) Ethical guidelines for deliberately infecting volunteers with COVID-19. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46 (8). pp. 502-504. doi:10.1136/medethics-2020-106322

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Abstract

Global fatalities related to COVID-19 are expected to be high in 2020–2021. Developing and delivering a vaccine may be the most likely way to end the pandemic. If it were possible to shorten this development time by weeks or months, this may have a significant effect on reducing deaths. Phase II and phase III trials could take less long to conduct if they used human challenge methods—that is, deliberately infecting participants with COVID-19 following inoculation. This article analyses arguments for and against such methods and provides suggested broad guidelines for regulators, researchers and ethics committees when considering these matters. It concludes that it may be possible to maintain current ethical standards yet still permit human challenge trials in a context where delay is critical. The implications are that regulators and researchers need to work together now to design robust but short trials and streamline ethics approval processes so that they are in place when applications for trials are made.

Item Type:	Journal Item
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Chemistry
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	COVID-19 (Disease), COVID-19 (Disease) -- Prevention, COVID-19 (Disease) -- Research -- Moral and ethical aspects, Medical ethics , Clinical trials -- Moral and ethical aspects, Human experimentation in medicine -- Moral and ethical aspects
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Medical Ethics
Publisher:	BMJ Group
ISSN:	0306-6800
Official Date:	August 2020
Dates:	Date Event August 2020 Published 27 May 2020 Available 16 May 2020 Accepted 17 April 2020 Submitted
Volume:	46
Number:	8
Page Range:	pp. 502-504
DOI:	10.1136/medethics-2020-106322
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit:	26 July 2022
Date of first compliant Open Access:	26 July 2022

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