임상시험심사위원회(IRB)의 리베이트 통제 역할에 관한 소고

The original role of Institutional Review Boards established by medical institutions is to protect rights and welfare of the subjects of clinical trials. However, considering current amendments of the Medical Service Act including adoption of the Dual Punishment System and changing trend of healthcare industries, the role of Institutional Review Boards shall cover not only cursory review of the ethical relationship between investigators and trial subjects but also strict scrutiny of legal relationship between investigators and financial sponsors of clinical trials such as pharmaceutical companies and medical device businesses. If an Institutional Review Board fails to implement such responsibilities and illegal rebates are transferred in the course of clinical trials which are conducted under the supervision of the Board, the medical institution to which the Board belongs would inevitably face hugh difficulties arising from financial burdens and prohibition of medical services since the medical institution could be subject to restitution of unfair claims relating to medical services and imposition of administrative fines. And individual investigators could be subject to criminal punishments and suspensions of physician credentials. Futhermore, if the subjects or patients of clinical trials to which illegal rebate issues are related seek damages against medical institutions, whether or not relevant Institutional Review Boards properly performed their responsibilities to review and control relations between investigators and financial sponsors could play a key role in determining the medical institutions’ legal liability. To ensure an Institutional Review Board’s proper performance of its responsibility to prevent illegal rebates, it is required for external professionals separate from the medical institution and physicians’ community to actively participate in the Board. The Institutional Review Board should sufficiently review individual details of research expenses which could possibly trigger illegal rebates issue and check whether the leading personnels of pharmaceutical or medical device companies in clinical trials came from sales/marketing division or medical/academic department. And the fair market value of research compensation and the types of clinical trials should be also considered by the Institutional Review Board in the course of their review.