In Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Mark Barnes Examines Ethical Challenges in Clinical Research During COVID-19 Pandemic

In The News
November 10, 2020
Attorneys:

Health care and life sciences partner Mark Barnes (Boston) co-authored a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry on the ethical challenges in clinical research during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authors explain that the clinical research community was not prepared for the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes have been rapidly introduced to prioritize patient, participant and healthcare worker safety. These changes—clinical trial suspensions, terminations, and continuations—were made after considering if risks could be mitigated and if trial and data integrity could be assured.

The authors examine the ethical challenges in decision-making during the pandemic in an effort to advance preparedness and learning. They analyze necessary trade-offs, differentiating decisions about ongoing clinical trials from decisions as to whether and when to initiate new studies.