General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPeter Thiel Funds Unethical Offshore Herpes Vaccine Trial
by Kaiser Health News
http://www.thedailybeast.com/peter-thiel-funds-unethical-offshore-herpes-vaccine-trial
"SNIP.........
WASHINGTONDefying U.S. safety protections for human trials, an American university and a group of wealthy libertarians, including a prominent Donald Trump supporter, are backing the offshore testing of an experimental herpes vaccine.
The American businessmen, including Trump adviser Peter Thiel, invested $7 million in the ongoing vaccine research, according to the U.S. company behind it. Southern Illinois University also trumpeted the research and the studys lead researcher, even though he did not rely on traditional U.S. safety oversight in the first trial, held on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor a safety panel known as an institutional review board, or IRB, monitored the testing of a vaccine its creators say prevents herpes outbreaks. Most of the 20 participants were Americans with herpes who were flown to the island several times to be vaccinated, according to Rational Vaccines, the company that oversaw the trial.
What theyre doing is patently unethical, said Jonathan Zenilman, chief of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Centers Infectious Diseases Division. Theres a reason why researchers rely on these protections. People can die.
...........SNIP"
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)I remember back in the 80s the ACTUP community made a huge impact on getting life saving meds to those suffering from HIV/AIDs. If this drug trial and research can help than so be it.
Voltaire2
(12,958 posts)LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Genital herpes is supposed to be pretty bad, so I can understand people being desperate to volunteer for finding a cure. Especially if your partner doesn't have it.