Question

Which of the following objections to the study would NOT likely be raised by an ethics committee?

I. Potentially harmful medication should not be given to otherwise healthy subjects.
II. Necessary medication should not be denied to patients for the sake of research.
III. Patients suffering from schizophrenia were unable to provide informed consent for this experimental protocol.

Answer 1

An objection least likely raised by ethics committees would be that patients with schizophrenia cannot provide informed consent, as it is not universally true; however, other concerns, such as providing harmful medication to healthy subjects or denying necessary medication, would likely prompt objections.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of clinical trials, ethics committees play a vital role in ensuring the safety and rights of participants are upheld. An objection that would NOT likely be raised by an ethics committee concerns the third point: Patients suffering from schizophrenia were unable to provide informed consent for this experimental protocol. This is because individuals with schizophrenia might still be able to provide informed consent, particularly if their illness is well-managed and they are capable of understanding the implications of the trial.

However, the other points mentioned involve clear ethical concerns: giving potentially harmful medication to healthy subjects (I) and denying necessary medication to patients (II) are direct violations of ethical principles like nonmaleficence and beneficence, which invariably would be flagged by an ethics committee.