Gagandeep Kang | Indian Journal of Medical Ethics | Vol 9, No. | 2012
Abstract
With the recent highlighting of ethical issues in several clinical trials, and the increase in awareness among parliamentarians, there has been some concern about the conduct of trials in India. The areas of concern include ensuring that consent is truly informed, and monitoring participant safety, the occurrence of deaths, and the payment of compensation. On November 18, 2011, the draft of the Drugs and Cosmetics (3rd Amendment) rule, 2011, was published in the Gazette of India, with a plan for implementation 45 days after publication. In addition, the draft guidelines for compensation were posted for comment by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), where bioethicists have been responsible for developing and updating the Ethical guidelines for biomedical research on human participants, last revised in 2006. These guidelines state that research participants who suffer an injury as a result of participation in research are entitled to compensation for impairment or disability.