Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Monday voiced concern about the ethics of current clinical trials on microbicides.
The recruitment and compensation of candidates who suffer complications from clinical trials in developing countries needed further discussion, the minister said at the start of a three-day international microbicides conference in Cape Town.
Researchers say vaginal microbicides, hailed as a potentially powerful tool in the fight against HIV and Aids, typically take the form of a gel that kills or inactivates HIV cells during sex.
Tshabalala-Msimang said there were several potential microbicides being tested globally, with five out of six products in an advanced stage of being tested in South Africa and elsewhere in the world.
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"In a community that is poor, providing financial compensation could prove to be perverse incentives. As we know, the poor may become desperate to receive these incentives despite risk. Therefore, informed consent becomes even more critical," Tshabalala-Msimang told delegates.
Tshabalala-Msimang said research participants needed to receive the necessary care for the management of conditions they may be exposed to by addressing issues such as adequate insurance.
"The type of insurance that is available for research participants in developed countries should be extended to participants in developing countries. It is unethical that participants in one multi-country study should have unequal levels of protection," Tshabalala-Msimang said in a speech prepared for delivery.
She said South Africa provided a unique environment for research, with increasing research activity, competition and an attractive research environment possibly contributing to unethical practices.
Tshabalala-Msimang touched on the debate surrounding the use of nanoxynol-9 or "N9", saying she was pleased it was being discussed at the conference because "when I first heard about the results of the N9 study conducted in South Africa I was very concerned".
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