Conduct of clinical trials in developing countries

Research subjects in developing countries may be especially vulnerable to exploitation. Scrupulous care should be taken to maintain the basic principles of ethical trial conduct: the right of participants to make their own informed decisions, a favorable balance of benefit to risk, good trial design, candour about results, and, above all, use of honourable investigators. Involvement of local participants in planning a trial helps ensure both culturally-sensitive protocols and consents and also maximum benefit to patients and to local research infrastructure.