[Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Biomedical research and the defense of a single standard of attention in developing countries].
In the Helsinki Declaration, which established the ethical principles for research with human subjects, article 5 states, "...concern about the well-being of human beings should always come before the interests of science and of society..." Research proposals should include this commitment, both in developed and developing countries. In countries like Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, much of the population experience situations of great injustice, including a lack of equal access to health care. In some cases, sectors of the pharmaceutical industry may see these deficiencies as offering opportunities for carrying out research and achieving economic profits, something which carries the risk of perpetuating and even intensifying the unjust situations and violations of human rights--these population groups already suffer from. This situation implies the need for commitment to and ethical reflection upon human rights related to health. Agreements are needed between the actors involved in health research: sources of funding, researchers, public policy makers, and the study subjects themselves, in order to protect the latter's rights, including continuity of medical treatment for research subjects, when necessary.
Angeles-Llerenas
Angélica
A
Centro de Investigaciones en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos. aangelica@correo.insp.mx
Bello
María Alejandra
MA
Dirce
Guilhem
G
Salinas
Mario Alberto
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D003906:Developing Countries; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000941:ethics; D005260:Female; D006381:Helsinki Declaration; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D012935:Social Justice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors