News in brief - March 20, 2000

Ethical guidelines for HIV vaccine research set - Geneticists propose rules for testing kids

Ethical guidelines for HIV vaccine research set

Geneva -- New guidelines aimed at protecting participants in HIV vaccine research were released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS last month.

Because at least 95% of the 5.6 million people who were infected with HIV in 1999 were from developing countries, these standards pay particular attention to their needs. Many of the vaccine trials are expected to take place in these badly affected developing countries.

Among the most contentious issues addressed in the newly released guidelines is the level of treatment that should be offered to participants who contract the disease. The document concluded that care and treatment should be provided ideally with "the best proven therapy" and minimally with "the highest level of care attainable in the host country."

Furthermore, the guidelines state that there is an international ethical responsibility to support vaccine trials and highlight the importance of involving communities early in the design, development, implementation and distribution of the results of the research.

"While the document recognizes the rights of affected communities, it also creates responsibilities for these communities to take on the scientific and ethical challenges of vaccine development," said Peter Piot, MD, PhD, executive director of UNAIDS.

Geneticists propose rules for testing kids

Bethesda, Md. -- Genetic testing of adoptive children should be done only if it is in their best interest, according to a statement by the American Society of Human Genetics and the American College of Medical Genetics. The statement, published in the March American Journal of Human Genetics, was a response to the increasing demands of prospective adoptive parents and adoption agencies for a wide range of genetic tests around the time of adoption.

It recommends that testing be consistent with tests that are performed on children of a similar age for the purposes of diagnosis or prevention; it also recommends that testing be limited to testing for conditions that manifest themselves or for which preventive action may be undertaken during childhood.