Equal Rights and Protections in Human Subjects Research: A Call to Action

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a stark reminder of the critical role of biomedical research in saving human lives. It also highlighted an urgent need for research that expands the evidence base in ways that reduce health disparities and promote equity. But the inclusive research needed to achieve these goals may be hampered by the fact that efforts to achieve these goals are embedded in a system that treats research participants unequally. Our prior research demonstrates that participants in the same multi-state study may have different rights and protections. Congress has the power to provide additional procedural and substantive protections that would uniformly apply to all participants. We urge Congress to use its authority to create a more ethical system of research regulations, which would both benefit participants and facilitate much-needed research