The application of data altruism in clinical research through empirical and legal analysis lenses

BACKGROUND: The legal framework for clinical research in the EU is complex and the lack of harmonization of the relevant legal and ethical rules remains one of the main challenges for stakeholders in the field. The recently adopted Data Governance Act (DGA) and the proposal for a European Health Data Space (EHDS) promise to solve the existing challenges with respect to access to and (re)use of personal data for research, but also risk to further complexify the field. The DGA introduced a novel mechanism – data altruism. Data altruism is understood as the voluntary sharing of personal and non-personal data, based on the consent of data subjects or the permission of natural and legal persons, without seeking a reward and for objectives of general interest. This study aimed to gain insights into the opinion of clinical research stakeholders on data altruism, and to critically discuss key issues pertaining to the application of data altruism from a legal point of view. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with (1) data protection officers (DPOs) and legal experts working with commercial and academic sponsors of clinical trials, (2) investigators, and (3) members of research ethics committees. Data underwent framework analysis. The legal discussion was comprised of legal doctrinal research with focus on the DGA, EHDS proposal, and the interplay with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). RESULTS: Fourteen experts took part in the interviews, more than half of which were DPOs/legal experts. Interviewees were based in seven EU Member states and the United Kingdom. The majority of participants were critical towards the data altruism mechanism and pointed out challenges and risks associated with its application. CONCLUSION: Although data altruism holds the potential to facilitate data sharing, its application in clinical research at the moment is still riddled with uncertainties. The interplay of the DGA rules with the provisions of the GDPR and the EHDS proposal are insufficiently clear and further efforts from the legislator are required to build a working, patient-centered, and research fostering data altruism system.