News and blogs

Just at the point where vaccine trials are showing promise, levels of infection circulating in the general population in the UK are relatively low. This is obviously good news from many perspectives – but makes the next stage of testing more difficult. Is one possible answer human challenge trials?

We welcome the Committee’s recommendations. The letter echoes many of our own calls to Government during the pandemic, such as the need for greater transparency.

We welcome the funder principles for research in epidemics and pandemics, set out by the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) and the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R).

Yesterday, the UK Government launched the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry. We welcome this registry.

Guest post: This blog is an extended version of a presentation given by Professor Bobbie Farsides at last week’s Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ webinar “Ethical implications of antibody testing and ‘immunity certification’.”

We, together with The Global Health Network, have launched a Spanish translation of a new e-learning course for researchers covering the core ethical issues that arise when conducting research in global health emergencies.

We welcome the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, which aims to reduce the risk of avoidable harm to patients in future, to better the patient experience, and to help restore trust in the system.

Join us for a discussion on the ethical questions raised by COVID-19 antibody testing and immunity certification on Thursday 2 July at 12 noon UK time.

We have published a policy briefing highlighting an urgent need for consideration of the ethical questions raised by Covid-19 antibody testing and immunity certification.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has long been committed to the principles of equality and, inclusivity, and to the reduction and elimination of disadvantage in all the areas that it examines. Recent events, and the important increase in visibility of Black Lives Matter have rightly given us all pause for thought about whether and how we are actively contributing to necessary change.

Global health emergencies aren’t restricted by language. As we see with the current COVID-19 pandemic, the virus isn’t limited to one country or continent – it affects everyone.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics warmly welcomes news of the Health Research Authority (HRA) public involvement service for COVID-19 studies.