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Wightman A, Filler G, Díaz-González de Ferris ME. The urgent need for conducting clinical trials in pediatric nephrology globally. Pediatr Nephrol 2023; 38:2499-2506. [PMID: 36738331 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-023-05877-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Wightman
- Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Nephrology, Bioethics and Palliative Care, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Guido Filler
- Department of Pediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5W9, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N5A 5A5, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5W9, Canada
- The Lilibeth Caberto Kidney Clinical Research Unit, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada
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Marsh AA, Magalhaes M, Peeler M, Rose SM, Darton TC, Eyal N, Morrison J, Shah SK, Schmit V. Characterizing altruistic motivation in potential volunteers for SARS-CoV-2 challenge trials. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275823. [PMID: 36322529 PMCID: PMC9629635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In human challenge trials (HCTs), volunteers are deliberately infected with an infectious agent. Such trials can be used to accelerate vaccine development and answer important scientific questions. Starting early in the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical concerns were raised about using HCTs to accelerate development and approval of a vaccine. Some of those concerns pertained to potential exploitation of and/or lack of truly informed consent from volunteers. Specific areas of concern arose around individuals who may be unusually risk-seeking or too economically vulnerable to refuse the payments these trials provide, as opposed to being motivated primarily by altruistic goals. This pre-registered study is the first large-scale survey to characterize people who, early in the pandemic, expressed interest and intention to volunteer to participate in COVID-19 HCTs. We found that individuals expressing interest in SARS-CoV-2 HCTs exhibit consistently altruistic motivations without any special indication of poor risk perception or economic vulnerability. In finding that, early in the pandemic, COVID-19 HCTs were able to attract volunteers whose values align with the nature of these trials, and who are not unusually vulnerable to exploitation, this study may allay some ethical concerns about the volunteers interested in participating in such trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail A. Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Monica Magalhaes
- Center for Population-Level Bioethics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Matthew Peeler
- Department of Mathematics, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sophie M. Rose
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas C. Darton
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Nir Eyal
- Center for Population-Level Bioethics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Josh Morrison
- 1Day Sooner, Claymont, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Seema K. Shah
- Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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Różyńska J. The ethical anatomy of payment for research participants. MEDICINE, HEALTH CARE, AND PHILOSOPHY 2022; 25:449-464. [PMID: 35610403 PMCID: PMC9427899 DOI: 10.1007/s11019-022-10092-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to most publications on the ethics of paying research subjects, which start by identifying and analyzing major ethical concerns raised by the practice (in particular, risks of undue inducement and exploitation) and end with a set of-more or less well-justified-ethical recommendations for using payment schemes immune to these problems, this paper offers a systematic, principle-based ethical analysis of the practice. It argues that researchers have a prima facie moral obligation to offer payment to research subjects, which stems from the principle of social beneficence. This principle constitutes an ethical "spine" of the practice. Other ethical principles of research ethics (respect for autonomy, individual beneficence, and justice/fairness) make up an ethical "skeleton" of morally sound payment schemes by providing additional moral reasons for offering participants (1) recompense for reasonable expenses; and (2a) remuneration conceptualized as a reward for their valuable contribution, provided (i) it meets standards of equality, adequacy and non-exploitation, and (ii) it is not overly attractive (i.e., it does not constitute undue inducement for participation or retention, and does not encourage deceptive behaviors); or (2b) remuneration conceptualized as a market-driven price, provided (i) it is necessary and designed to help the study achieve its social and scientific goals, (ii) it does not reinforce wider social injustices and inequalities; (iii) it meets the requirement of non-exploitation; and (iv) it is not overly attractive. The principle of justice provides a strong ethical reason for not offering recompenses for lost wages (or loss of other reasonably expected profits).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Różyńska
- Center for Bioethics and Biolaw, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmiescie 3, 00-047, Warsaw, Poland.
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Fisher JA, McManus L, Kalbaugh JM, Walker RL. Phase I trial compensation: How much do healthy volunteers actually earn from clinical trial enrollment? Clin Trials 2021; 18:477-487. [PMID: 33938244 PMCID: PMC8290991 DOI: 10.1177/17407745211011069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Background/aims Financial compensation for research participation is a major focus of ethical concern regarding human subject recruitment. Phase I trials are sometimes considered to be a lucrative source of income for healthy volunteers, encouraging some people to become “professional guinea pigs.” Yet, little is known about how much these clinical trials actually pay and how much healthy volunteers earn from them. Methods As part of a mixed-methods, longitudinal study of healthy volunteers, we required participants to complete clinical trial diaries, or surveys that captured detailed information about screening and enrollment in Phase I trials. Over a 3-year period, participants provided information online or via telephone about each clinical trial for which they screened (e.g. the clinic name, the study’s therapeutic area, the length of the trial, the number of nights spent in the clinic, and the study compensation), and whether they qualified for trial inclusion. Clinical trial diaries generated data about whether participants continued to screen for and enroll in clinical trials and how much money they earned from their participation. Results 131 participants routinely completed clinical trial diaries or confirmed that they had not screened for any new clinical trials. Together, these participants screened for 1001 clinical trials at 73 research facilities during a 3-year period. Overall, the median clinical trial compensation was US$3070 (range = US$150–US$13,000). Participants seeking new healthy volunteer trials tended to screen for three studies per year, participate in one or two studies, and earn roughly US$4000 annually. Participants who were unemployed earned the most income from clinical trials compared to those with full-time or part-time jobs, and those individuals whom we label “occupational” participants because of their persistent pursuit of clinical trials earned more than people who screened occasionally. Notably, the median annual trial compensation was well below US$10,000 for all employment groups, and most occupational healthy volunteers also earned less than US$10,000 each year. The 10% of participants who earned the most had a median annual income of US$18,885 from clinical trials, and there was significant volatility in these individuals’ earnings from year to year. Conclusion Despite the perception that Phase I enrollment can generate significant earnings, it was exceedingly rare for anyone in this study to make more than US$20,000 in a single year, and unusual to earn even between US$10,000 and US$20,000. From an ethics perspective, individual trials might appear to unduly induce enrollment by offering significant sums of money, but given our findings, the larger problem for low-income participants may be the unrealistic perception that clinical trials alone could be a way of earning a living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill A Fisher
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lisa McManus
- Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Rebecca L Walker
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Brown B, Marg L, Michels E, Zhang Z, Kuzmanović D, Dubé K, Galea JT. Comparing Payments Between Sociobehavioral and Biomedical Studies in a Large Research University in Southern California. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics 2021; 16:117-124. [PMID: 33535867 DOI: 10.1177/1556264620987773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Given the dearth of regulatory guidance and empirical research on practices of providing payments to research participants, our study aimed to examine whether there were significant differences in payment amounts between sociobehavioral and biomedical studies and to examine study factors that may explain payment differences. This study reviewed 100 sociobehavioral and 31 biomedical protocols. Results showed that both biomedical studies and sociobehavioral studies had a wide variation of payments and, on average, the biomedical studies paid significantly more. Additionally, more biomedical studies offered payment than sociobehavioral studies. The primary factors that explained differences in payment amounts between sociobehavioral and biomedical studies were the number of study visits, study time, participation type, risk level, and research method. These findings provide pilot data to help inform future ethical decision-making and guidance regarding payment practices.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Logan Marg
- 8790University of California, Riverside, USA
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Hughes RC. Risk, double effect and the social benefit requirement. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2020; 47:medethics-2019-106034. [PMID: 32647043 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2019-106034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many ethicists maintain that medical research on human subjects that presents no prospect of direct medical benefit must have a prospect of social benefit to be ethical. Payment is not the sort of benefit that justifies exposing subjects to risk. Alan Wertheimer has raised a serious challenge to this view, pointing out that in industry, social value is not considered necessary to make dangerous jobs ethical. This article argues that Wertheimer was correct to think that the ethics of hazard pay should be the same in medical research and in business. Nevertheless, a qualified social benefit requirement should apply in both fields. For a study or a job with significant net physical risk to be ethical, it must have social value beyond the satisfaction of ordinary preferences, including the preference for money. The requirement derives from a non-absolutist version of the doctrine of double effect. If a risky study or a dangerous job has no distinctive social value, and hazard pay is subjects' or workers' only reason to undergo risks, the very fact that they undergo risk is intended as a means to a financial end. Inviting people to enrol in such a study or to take such a job wrongfully treats people as mere means. By contrast, if a study or a job has social value, people can participate with a primary end other than money, even if they accept compensation. Researchers or employers do not intend but merely foresee risks to subjects or workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Hughes
- Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Różyńska J. Passivity, Research Risks, and Worker-Type Protections for Research Subjects. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:46-48. [PMID: 31419200 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Schonfeld T, Rasmussen LM. Partnering, Not Enduring: Citizen Science and Research Participation. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:44-45. [PMID: 31419207 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Anderson EE. A Proposal for Fair Compensation for Research Participants. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:62-64. [PMID: 31543033 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Anderson
- Loyola University of Chicago, Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics & Health Policy
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Largent EA, Emanuel EJ, Lynch HF. Filthy Lucre or Fitting Offer? Understanding Worries About Payments to Research Participants. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:1-4. [PMID: 31543034 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1631076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Abadie R. The Exploitation of Professional "Guinea Pigs" in the Gig Economy: The Difficult Road From Consent to Justice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:37-39. [PMID: 31543031 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Smids J, Nyholm S. Is Being "Paid to Endure" Compatible With Autonomy? Paid Research Participation and Five (Rather Than Four) Goods of Work. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:41-43. [PMID: 31419199 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Fisher JA. Research Payment and Its Social Justice Concerns. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:35-36. [PMID: 31543035 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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London AJ. Freedom From Subjection to the Will of Others: Study Payments, Labor, and Moral Equality. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:32-34. [PMID: 31543036 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Gross MS, Miller RC. "Paid to Produce Data:" Research Participation as the Labor of Generating Valuable Health Data. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:50-52. [PMID: 31419203 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Malmqvist E. Response to Open Peer Commentaries on "'Paid to Endure': Paid Research Participation, Passivity, and the Goods of Work". THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:W3-W5. [PMID: 31419194 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1643943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Walsh A. Meaningful Work Is Indeed a Matter of Distributive Justice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:52-54. [PMID: 31419197 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Graham M, Weijer C. Working for the Weekend Is Not Meaningful Work. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:48-50. [PMID: 31419206 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1630515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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Grady C. The Continued Complexities of Paying Research Participants. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2019; 19:5-7. [PMID: 31543032 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1643654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Grady
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
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