Medical Ethics in Drug Trials Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in clinical drug trials every year. They are putting their health and safety at risk by participating in a drug trial. One would think they would be doing this to promote medical advancement, but in all actuality, it is for the high dollar amounts they receive for compensation. People that frequently enroll in drug trials are often called “guinea pigs.” The monetary amount people are paid can go as high seventy-five hundred dollars. The more invasive the procedure is the higher the compensation. These “Guinea pigs” are required to pay taxes on the money they do make. (Elliott, 2008) Reasons for Drug Trials Clinical trials are designed to test the safety and efficiency of potential interventions in humans. Trials of treatments, prevention modalities, medical devices, and other interventions are the fastest, safest, and best way to determine the failure or success of the product being tested. Treatment trials are experimental treatments. They test new drugs, new combinations of drugs; as well as, approaches to surgery and/or radiation therapy. This is the fastest way to discover the possible therapeutic options. Prevention trials test medicines, vaccines, vitamins, or lifestyle changes. History of drug Trials The largest drug-testing site, a 675-bed motel in Miami-Dade County, Florida was demolished in 2006. The participants were undocumented immigrants who were paid minute amounts as compensation. Conditions at the site were deplorable and the living conditions were repulsive. The paint was peeling from the ceilings and half a dozen, or more, individuals were forced to endure their trials in one room. Lisa Krinsky, a Miami native, the medical director wh... ... middle of paper ... ...://www.forbes.com/2009/05/10/pharmaceuticals-drugs-patents-business-healthcare-drug-patents.html Keller, A. (2007, March 1). Aftermath of a Drug-Testing Firm. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://floridatrend.com/print_article.asp?aID=46147 Mamdani, B. (2008, July 5). Should trial subjects be unionised?. Retrieved March 4, 2010, from http://www.issuesinmedicalethics.org/163ss138.html Roner, L. (2004, July 7). Drug companies accused of illegally not registering trials. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=2347 Roner, L. (2005, July 24). Drug trial disclosure – a placebo?. Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=3796 Roner, L. (2004, October 28). Will drug trial registries really make drugs safer?. Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=3058
Dr. John Abramson’s book Overdosed America debunks the myths about the excellence of American medicine. Abramson backs up this claim by closely examining research about medicine, closely examining the unpublished details submitted by drug manufacturers to the FDA, and discovering that the unpublished data does not coincide with the claims made about the safety and effectiveness of commonly used medicines. Abramsons purpose is to point out the flaws of the pharmaceutical industry in order to warn the readers about the credibility of the drugs they are buying. Given the critical yet technical language of the book, Abramson is writing to an audience that may include academic physicians as well as those who want to learn about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry.
The chapter, Selling in Minnesota, had some disturbing information about the low wage life. As I read, I learned that every place the author went to apply, such as a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot type place called Menards, required the applicant to pass a drug test. The author went out and had to buy detox for $30, but can be up to $60. Also, I learn that 81% of employers do drug test their future employees. I don’t like this statistic, in part because I tried getting a job at Marshall Field’s restaurant and they required me to pass a drug test. Luckily, another employer called me before my scheduled drug screening (which I had planned on passing by being really sneaky and using the urine of a friend of mine), so I took that job offer and everything worked out well. The reason I don’t agree with the drug testing required to access most entry-level jobs, is because the only drugs they actually test for is Marijuana. Cocaine and heroine leave the body within three days, and other drugs aren’t even tested for. So that leaves the most commonly used illicit drug, and one that has the least affect on the user, to be tested for.
2. Bonham, Valerie H. "Legal Issue's in Clinical Research." NIH. 15 Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.
Article two entitled “Clinical trials: are they ethical?” is written by Eugene Passamani discusses the importance of randomized clinical trials. Passamani rejects the argument that the physician-patient relationship demands that physicians recommend ...
In July 2001 Robert R. Courtney’s illegal and highly unethical behavior was brought to the attention of local authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Courtney’s blatant disregard for the trust patients placed in him was evidenced by his daily violations of their rights and expectations while he supposedly provided quality healthcare service. By August 2001, following investigation, the FBI filed 20 federal charges against Courtney that carried a maximum prison sentence of 196 years (United Press International, 2002). $8 million of his assets which were estimated to be in excess of $10 million were frozen to be used as restitution for victims in the criminal case. Following a plea agreement Courtney’s prison sentence was pared down to 30 years and he and his company received a $15 million fine
Freedman, B. (1987). Equipoise and the Ethics of Clinical Research. New England Journal of Medicine, 48, 44-48.
Grabowski, Henry and John Vernon. 1986. “Longer Patents For Lower Imitation Barriers: The 1984 Drug Act”, The American Economic Review. Pages 196-198.
Wolf, M. (2011, June 4). We should declare an end to our disastrous war on drugs. Financial Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/870200965?accountid=14473
trials of investigation medical products. The FDA also has to review and approve in a
The war on drugs began with good intentions, but it is becoming clear that this battle is a failure. Not only do drug laws violate American’s freedoms, but they further complicate the lives of drug users. These laws have inadvertently been responsible for the deaths of thousands through bad drug deals and dirty drugs, which leads one to ask the question, “Is this a war on drugs or a war on drug users?” Body bags and HIV are becoming the most widely known side effects of drug prohibition. Contrary to what many may think, drug use will never be eliminated. Only through legalization and strict state-controlled regulations will the violent and deadly consequences of drug laws be controlled. By making these substances available, the drugs themselves will be safer and cheaper, government spending and prison population will decrease, and most importantly, Americans will be freer.
for drugs that helps lead to problems with prostitution, gambling, and even human organs. Society is suffering from the unsuccessful and costly results of prohibition. Although drug regulation has steadily been increasing, drug use and drug related deaths have increased steadily. Even though spending to combat the...
Freedman B. Equipoise and the ethics of clinical research. N Engl J Med. 1987; 317(3): 141-145
...f patients’ doctors recruited participants, patients may not ease to refuse participating a trial. Therefore recruitment may be better to be done by a person who does not normally treat the patients.
The history of medical research in the twentieth century provides abundant evidence which shows how easy it is to exploit individuals, especially the sick, the weak, and the vulnerable, when the only moral guide for science is a naive utilitarian dedication to the greatest good for the greatest number. Locally administered internal review boards were thought to be a solution to the need for ethical safeguards to protect the human guinea pig. However, with problems surrounding informed consent, the differentiation between experimentation and treatment, and the new advances within medicine, internal review boards were found to be inadequate for the job. This led to the establishment of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission by President Bill Clinton in the hopes of setting clear ethical standards for human research.
"Pharma Firm Lundbeck Wins Ethical Award for Stopping Use of Drugs in Executions." Reprieve. March 29, 2012. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_03_29_lundbeck_ethical_award/.