St Vincent's hospital in Dublin has said no clinical trial was turned down or delayed by it as a result of concerns about contraceptive guidelines given to women taking part.
The hospital yesterday issued a public a statement a week after clinical trials of a cancer drug at Dublin's Mater hospital were postponed as a result of such concerns. Both are Catholic ethos hospitals.
In its statement St Vincent's said: "In recent weeks, inferences have been made in the public media to St Vincent's University Hospital having delayed cancer drug trials because of the contraceptive requirements attaching to them. The ethics and medical research committee of the St Vincent's Healthcare Group wishes to state in the clearest way that no clinical trial or study has been turned down or delayed due to the contraceptive advice or guidelines contained in the applications."
It said many trials of new medications required a reliable form of effective contraception. "The ethics committee has maintained and continues to maintain that the form of contraception is a matter to be decided by both the patient and the principal investigator, as appropriate to the individual," the statement added.
The Mater hospital will revisit its decision to delay trials of the lung cancer drug Tarceva when its board meets next Tuesday.