The Exploitation of “Exploitation” in the Tenofovir PrEP Trial in Cameroon: Lessons Learned from Media Coverage of an HIV Prevention Trial

Abstract

Media coverage influences how clinical trials are perceived internationally and in communities where trials occur, affecting recruitment, retention, and political support for research. We conducted a discourse analysis of news coverage from 2004–2005 of a trial in Cameroon on oral PrEP for HIV prevention, to identify messages, communication techniques, and sources of messages that were amplified via media. We identified two parallel discourses: One on ethical concerns about the Cameroon trial, and a second, more general “science exploitation” discourse concerned with the potential for trials with vulnerable participant populations to be conducted unethically, benefiting only wealthy populations. Researchers should overtly address exploitation as an integral, ongoing component of research, particularly where historical or cultural conditions set the stage for controversy to emerge.