Dealing with Ethical Issues in Clinical Trials: The ussr in the Global Context

What is it about?

This paper discusses several ethical issues and concerns related to clinical trials within the Soviet system of drug development and testing. the Soviet Union presented a well-articulated ethical alternative to the Western model. We would like to suggest that the Soviet system should not be seen simply as an ‘undeveloped’ imitation or aberration of the ‘correct’ Western model. Rather, we need to engage seriously with the ethical terms that the Soviets used and acknowledge them as well-articulated alternatives to Western concepts (whether we agree with them or not). This is especially important in the current moment of crisis and the search for possible (including culturally specific) amendments to the randomized controlled trial model and evidence-based medicine more generally.

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