Tabled on March 29 for examination, the elected representatives of the nation adopted yesterday, April 4, the bill on medical research involving the human person.
Cameroon tightens sanctions against human clinical trial fraudsters. The adoption of this law by the deputies will make it possible to apply sanctions to offenders. Thus, will be punished by imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 10 million to 50 million FCFA, anyone who carries out a medical research project without having informed the participants of their rights, the modalities and the risks of the research.
The same criminal sanction applies where the project promoter has not obtained the consent of the person concerned or that of other persons, authorities designated to authorise the research and where the prior consent has been withdrawn.
In addition, "A person who clons human embryos for research purposes shall be punished by life imprisonment"; "one who genetically improves an embryo" and "one who creates transgenic or chimeric embryos". This law, which has just been ratified, aims to ensure "the protection of research participants throughout the processes of research on human diseases, particularly in the context of clinical trials and interventional studies," we learn.
