Altruism – but also vulnerability – drive healthy volunteers to take part in clinical research

By Isabelle Remy-Jouet, Ethicienne, Membre du comité Éthique de l'Inserm, Mission DD&RS, Université d'Angers
François Eisinger, Professeur associé en santé publique, praticien hospitalier au centre de lutte contre le cancer Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm
François Hirsch, Membre du comité d'éthique de l'Inserm, Inserm

When UK authorities granted permission in October 2020 for the first controlled infection study to be carried out to test the anti-Covid-19 vaccine Oxford University had just developed, reactions ranged from disbelief to disapproval.

Yet this type of experiment, which exposes healthy volunteers to an infection to assess the efficacy of a vaccine or treatment (it is sometimes called a

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