Death of a volunteer

In June 2001 a 24-year-old woman who had been paid US$365 to participate in a research project died of pulmonary complications after receiving a drug at the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center. Dr. Richard Ian Ogilvie asks whether the same thing could occur in Canada, and concludes that a similar event is possible. He says research ethics boards, which must approve research protocols, should review the consent process. (The woman was never told that the drug was not approved for clinical use.) He also says the coercion of volunteers must end.

p. 1335 The death of a volunteer research subject: lessons to be learned — R.I. Ogilvie

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