[chewxy]

This ethical question is particularly interesting. Just to play Devil's Advocate, let's assume that Big Pharma is not involved. Rather, the people who are doing the research are honest researchers who gain utility through the act of research and finding breakthroughs.

If phrased this way, the incidents may suddenly now be sympathized as being yet another statistic - after all, sacrifices must be made in the name of scientific progress. The matter of coercion becomes trivial in the sense of The Greater Good (of course, not all research will yield positive results, and that's the whole point of research).

Now, if one were to have this sort of view going into doing medical trials, who's to say that one's wrong? Why is it still evil, if the net result are better drugs to control one's moods?

[neekb]

I think the article called to mind some other issues that were more important than the debate about how ethical studies like this are or are not.

This guy's mother was giving the researchers feedback that the participant could not. Namely, that he was getting WORSE. She tried to have him removed from the program, and apparently couldn't. That goes well beyond "yet another statistic", especially as he was deemed incapable of making his own medical decisions.

[stonemetal]

Having only read the linked article, I have no opinion on how valid the research was. The primary concern is that people have died in a way that points to the research program in question having been a contributing factor, and the fact that there wasn't even a cursory investigation to make sure things are on the up and up.

[lprubin]

To me what's evil is the stonewalling of an investigation into the death.

[mcguire]

"The matter of coercion becomes trivial in the sense of The Greater Good (of course, not all research will yield positive results, and that's the whole point of research)."

Not really. There are historical reasons why informed consent is a requirement.

Put another way, would you feel the same if you were the one being coerced? How would you feel about an untreated syphilis infection?