Covid-19 human challenge trials – what research ethics committees need to consider

Bibliographic Data

ID21787632
AuthorsLisa Tambornino (European Network of Research Ethics Committees, Germany), Dirk Lanzerath (0000-0003-0652-8829, University of Bonn, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume16
Issue3-4
Pages1-11
Publication date2020-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueResearch Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1747-0161 • E-ISSN: 2047-6094
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1747016120943635
OpenAlexW3044655240
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

To reduce the global burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to develop a safe vaccine. Vaccine development usually takes many years as it goes through several different phases. To hasten COVID-19 vaccine development, it has been suggested that the final stage could be replaced with a human challenge trial (HCT). Volunteers would be intentionally infected with SARS-CoV-2 to see how the vaccine candidate works. To intentionally infect a healthy human being with a potentially deadly virus is contrary to the highest ethical standards in medical research. This article highlights the benefits and risks of COVID-19 HCTs and summarises what research ethics committees (RECs) need to consider during the ethical assessment of such trials including risk reduction, strict containment measures, specific informed consent measures and avoiding high monetary inducements

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Alternative medicine · Clinical trial · Disease · Engineering ethics · Ethical issues · Ethics committee · Human research · Informed consent · Outbreak · Pandemic · Pathology · Political science · Psychiatry · Research ethics · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation · Ethics in Clinical Research · Ethics in medical practice · Medicine · Public Administration · Virology

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