The field of research ethics comes into contact with the world of business in several ways. First, some human-subjects research is conducted by scientists working in corporate settings (i.e., scientists employed full-time by corporations). Further, some clinical trials conducted at universities are funded by, for example, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Finally, there are private companies (“contract research organizations”) whose entire business consists in the for-profit conduct of clinical trials. In each case, challenges may be posed by the conflict (or even just potential or apparent conflict) between the protection of research subjects, on one hand, and corporate profits on the other.

Commercial Research Ethics Resources

• “Ethics Case-Study: When are industry-sponsored trials a good match for community doctors?” American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine
• “Conflcit of Interest in Research, Education, and Patient Care” Trudo Lemmens,  Peter A. Singer,CMAJ 1998;159:960-5.
• “Industry-sponsored pharmaceutical trials and research ethics boards: Are they cloaked in too much secrecy?” Lorraine E. Ferris, CMAJ May 14, 2002; 166 (10)

From The Business Ethics Blog

• “Corporate Responsibility for a Drug Trial Gone Bad”

• “Can an Ethically-Challenged Scientist Attract Venture Capital?”

• “India, Drug Trials, and So-Called Imperialism”

• “Advertising Clinical Trials”

• “Big Pharma & Drug Trials in Developing Nations”

• “Business Ethics & Commercial Clinical Trials”

• “Pfizer’s Unapproved Drug Tested on Nigerian Children”

• “Truth, Fiction, and Wrongdoing in the Pharma Industry”

• “Pharma, Heroes, and Ethics in Publishing”

• “Big Pharma, Big Money, and Big Medicine”