BEIJING: China has released a guideline that provides a uniform set of ethical review standards for medical institutions, colleges and research institutions planning to conduct life sciences and medical research involving humans.
The guideline, released by the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Monday, has expanded the scope of research requiring ethical reviews and clarified the supervision accountability of various authorities.
Officials and experts said that the release of the guideline is a timely and vital move to dismantle barriers between government departments and address ethical gray areas in research.
“Research in the fields of modern biomedical and life sciences tends to integrate with each other more closely, posing challenges for government authorities holding independent supervision power,” said Zhai Xiaomei, executive director of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences’ research center for bioethics. “Over the years, professionals in China have been appealing for a more integrated oversight system to address challenges.”
Zhai said a landmark reform occurred in July 2019 when the central authority announced that a national science and technology ethics committee would be established, heralding the start of a series of efforts to enforce uniform and comprehensive regulations concerning ethical review.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
