Hamisi Mathias Machangu

Drug trials on human subjects have had serious impacts on people's health and have resulted in many deaths all over the world. For a long period, these trials violated international standards for the protection of human subjects in Africa. This study examines the history of ethics of drug trials on human subjects in Tanzania from 1950 to 1980. It illustrates the nature and extent of unethical practices in drug trials on human subjects. The project reveals the conditions which made researchers persistently violate international ethical principles in drug trials on human subjects in Tanzania. The study establishes the way human subjects perceived unethical practices in drug trials, and unveils the nature of the responses which such perception elicited. The study also identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the internal policy and regulatory environment relating to the ethics of drug trials in Tanzania.