Indian, US experts to deliberate bioethics in clinical research

New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) Experts from India and the United States will discuss vital issue of bioethics in clinical research at a three-day workshop beginning here tomorrow.

The meet, being jointly organised by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Drug Controller General of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and the US Department of Health and Human Services, will focus on the need to adopt ethical principles and practices to increase the involvement of individuals and communities in clinical research.

Research on human volunteers to evaluate and eventually license products for prevention, treatment or management of disease has become an area of intense interest in India and around the world.

This event is part of a series of workshops on clinical research and clinical trials that will be jointly conducted in India over the next three years.

The workshop will provide specialised training to 100 trainees coming from institutions all over India. Experts from the US government's National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ICMR, media and other premier Indian institutions will elaborate on key aspects of human volunteer protection in the conduct of clinical research. Subjects covered will include informed consent, risk/benefit evaluations, international collaborative research, and the role of the media.

The workshop will focus on the need to adopt ethical principles and practices to increase the involvement of individuals and communities in clinical research. The event will use an interactive approach through case studies to update clinical researchers on the ethics requirements by Indian and international research and regulatory agencies.

In India, favourable conditions exist in the form of excellent research institutions, expertise in clinical and laboratory sciences, rapid spread of information technology and emerging private sector in pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical sector involved in research and development.

India's dynamic and continually growing industrial sector can help to rapidly move research findings into market-ready products for India and the global market.

Today's global environment offers both challenges and favourable conditions for clinical research leading to the development of new and improved drugs and vaccines, which are urgently needed for infectious, chronic and lifestyle diseases.

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