Putting contract research organisations on the radar

Abstract

There is a trend for pharmaceutical companies to contract third parties to conduct the clinical trials that are needed to test their drugs. This trend is referred to as outsourcing , and the companies that carry out the work are called contract research organisations. In addition, clinical trials are increasingly conducted in non-traditional trial regions, which are mainly low-and middle-income countries. This trend is called offshoring. The combination of outsourcing and offshoring poses serious risks for the ethical treatment of participants in clinical trials.