Ethics of clinical trials

Abstract

Clinical research is essential to modern evidence-based medicine. The potential for human harm must be minimized and balanced against the greater utility to society. With a multitude of clinical, governmental, and regulatory actors now working to ensure clinical research is ethically robust, it is important that we reflect on the current paradigm of clinical research in the UK, to safeguard participant safety. We also discuss ethical principles of clinical trials, according to different bioethical models.