EU Regulations Undermine Clinical Trials

In a surprising twist, the European Union’s attempt to regulate tech giants Google and Facebook is having unintended consequences on clinical trials. The regulation, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), has been met with criticism for its overreaching scope and questionable origins. The DSA is intended to protect users from online harm, but it has had far-reaching effects beyond the tech industry. Clinical trials rely heavily on data collection and analysis, which can be difficult or impossible under the new regulations. The data collected by these companies helps researchers identify trends in diseases, treatments, and outcomes that are essential for clinical trials. Without access to this data, research could be significantly hindered or even halted entirely. This issue highlights an important problem with large-scale regulations such as the DSA: their potential for unforeseen consequences that can have wide-ranging impacts on many industries. While governments should take steps to protect citizens from online harm, they must also consider how their actions may affect other sectors of society. Unfortunately, it appears that this issue will not be resolved anytime soon. The DSA was recently passed by the European Parliament despite widespread opposition from civil rights groups and tech companies alike. It remains to be seen how exactly this regulation will impact clinical trials in Europe going forward; however, it is clear that its effects will likely be far reaching and long lasting.