Exportation of unethical practices to low and middle income countries in biomedical research

Abstract

Substandard ethical practices in biomedical research have been exported from more developed countries to less developed countries worldwide. The term for this practice is called ethics dumping, which can be described as exporting, in clinical research, sensitive ethical practices from more developed to less developed countries, with subpar requirements and other economic or operational advantages that would be inadmissible in developed countries. Examples for this practice are described, as well as its origin, receptivity, and perpetuation, together with some preliminary guidance and advice in order to work towards possible solutions for this ethically sensitive issue in the future.

Keywords

• clinical research
• ethics
• ethics dumping
• research ethics
• research bioethics