Should you do this clinical trial? Can you do the trial here? These are the key questions for ethics and governance of clinical trials.

Clinical trials in Australia are subject to laws and regulations in relation to their conduct and researchers have responsibilities in relation to these laws and regulations and the conduct of their clinical trial.

 A number of laws, regulations and guidelines inform and govern clinical trial conduct in Australia, and these include, but are not limited to:

• Ethical and scientific review
• Financial management
• Gene technologies and related therapies
• Guardianship
• Human embryos and cloning
• Human Tissue
• Intellectual property
• Ionising radiation
• National Health and Medical Research Council Act
• Privacy
• Record keeping
• Risk management
• Site authorisation
• Use, manufacture, sale and distribution of therapeutic goods

An international listing of human research standards, including Australia, is located here