Discussion about vaccines and drugs for COVID-19: need to add an ethical dimension

Abstract

The pneumonia outbreak caused by a new species of coronavirus at the end of 2019 in Wuhan (China) led to a pandemic with more than 200 million people infected and about 4.5 million deaths worldwide and which continue to increase. Despite the short time elapsed (less than two years), much progress has been made in the management of the disease and patients and in the development of vaccines and other drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, associated with several ethical challenges. Many drugs approved for other therapeutic indications were used outside the formally approved indications, raising questions regarding the validity of results and observance of fundamental ethical principles. The World Health Organization has taken a clear position on the use of drugs without sufficient evidence for COVID-19 patients and has promoted the performance of randomized clinical trials. Currently, more than 6,000 clinical studies are registered with the aim of studying different therapeutic approaches for COVID-19. At the same time, the first safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 were developed and approved. Vaccines and the vaccination process have also raised issues with an important ethical component. Today, it is no longer acceptable to experiment with potential therapies outside the context of clinical trials, and a strategy for discovering effective treatments for COVID-19 should be promoted. A discussion, including the ethical dimension, about the best use of these vaccines, considering the global fight against the pandemic, is also essential.