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Biobank/Genomic Research in Nigeria: Examining Relevant Privacy and Confidentiality Frameworks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Obiajulu Nnamuchi
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Extract

Health research raises profound concerns of an ethical and legal nature — concerns primarily centered on how to balance researchers’ quest for scientific discovery against societal interest in protecting individuals whose participation makes the discovery possible. Particularly in a country such as Nigeria, which, not too long ago, suffered major abuse of research subjects (Pfizer’s clinical trial of Trovafloxacin and resulting death of eleven children in 1996), deploying a robust ethicolegal regime capable of curbing excesses and protecting research participants whilst contemporaneously not frustrating scientific progress is not an easy task. This is even more critical in the context of novel scientific endeavors, such as biobanking and genomic research, particularly when a significant pool of potential donors are inadequately informed about the processes involved in their participation or the result.

Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , Winter 2015 , pp. 776 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2015

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