Human dignity and conflicts of interest in clinical trials in the book "The Constant Gardener"
Márcia de Cássia CASSIMIRO, Joana ARAÚJO, Teresa Adão da FONSECA
Original title: Dignidade humana e conflitos de interesse nos ensaios clínicos na obra O Fiel Jardineiro
Published in
Keywords: Clinical trials, Conflict of interest (COI), Human Dignity, The Constant Gardener.
The cruel and violent history of humanity, full of injustices and tyrannies revealing indifference and disrespect for human dignity, has nevertheless shown real progress in understanding and recognising each person's dignity and in establishing such dignity as the foundation for the rights and ethical imperatives with which human society has been built. Nowadays, however, human progress in the fields of medicine, biotechnology and scientific research entails unacceptable abuse and heralds serious threats to human dignity. Objectively, loss of dignity can occur in situations of war, poverty, or social misery, but people in these situations can still preserve great dignity in their behaviour, not feeling unworthy in the eyes of others. There are situations of great indignity. The issue in The Constant Gardener involves a clear violation of dignity. The way the pharmaceutical industry, lacking any scientific integrity, conducts a clinical trial in a country who’s political and social situation is completely disrupted and where the population is highly vulnerable due to several factors such as their economic and social condition, food shortages, and high illiteracy is without a doubt a clear violation of human dignity. Conflicts of interest in scientific research, particularly in clinical trials and how they are conducted, represent a point of convergence of two different areas, science and ethics, encouraging reflection and the search for solutions that will promote not only scientific, but also moral progress.
Research integrity and the impact of conflicts of interests on society: An Analysis in the Light of the Theory of Recognition of Axel Honneth
Márcia Cássia CASSIMIRO, Agemir BAVARESCO, André Marcelo M. SOARES
Original title: Integridade científica e o impacto dos conflitos de interesses na sociedade: Uma Análise à Luz da Teoria do Reconhecimento de Axel Honneth
Published in
Keywords: Axel Honneth, Conflict of interest (COI), Research integrity, Theory of Recognition.
Conflicts of interest (COI) is a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest tends to be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. In biomedical research, for example, secondary interests may affect research participants and bias research results. From a Honnethian perspective, struggles for recognition of COIs can be seen as a moral force driving social development with a focus on human dignity. Accordingly, Vasconcelos et al. have shown that in the last decades, the dialogue between science and society has reflected concerns over COIs and management of these conflicts in the realm of scientific publications. In this context, research supported by the pharmaceutical industry, for example, is a case in point. Although the extent to which this funding influences the behavior of researchers is not fully understood, there has been an increase in research misconduct in the last decades, and COIs play a role in many cases. As part of an ongoing doctoral project, this contribution makes a case that the training of Brazilian researchers in the health sciences and their understanding of science and society need to be revisited. We will address the process of construction of scientific knowledge and the ethical dilemmas encountered by these researchers when it comes to COIs in their professional and academic activities. Using elements of Honnethian philosophy, we aim to identify whether notions of COIs among this group arise from a mistaken understanding of public management of the research sector, resulting in social disrespect, reifying individuals in the process of participation in social control of the resources involved in research.
