Capella University
PHI-FPX3200: Ethics in Health Care
Dr. Ginger Raya
December 20, 2023
A Right to Experimental Drugs?
Experimental drugs offer opportunities for patients with chronic conditions to regain hope of recovering or prolonging lives. The alternative options undergo thorough testing, which makes them appropriate for protecting patients from severe complications and premature deaths. Similarly, the active involvement of the Federal Drug Agency in approving experimental drugs increases consumer and healthcare providers’ confidence in using the treatments in critical scenarios. However, question emerge about the efficacy and reliability of experimental drugs. Patients are likely to express concerns over the quality of the drugs and their ability to help patients overcome the risk of severe complications and premature deaths.
Ethical Theories and Moral Principles
Using experimental drugs calls for applications of ethical theories and moral principles that determine their relevance in treating patients with complex conditions. The treatment matches the requirement for healthcare professionals to safeguard the sanctity of life and uphold human dignity as captured under the Kantian ethics and natural law ethics (Iserson, 2020). The theories remind healthcare providers to protect life using alternative treatments such as experimental drugs (Dugan, 2019). Utilitarianism theory also applies in terms of encouraging the care team to make decisions that produce the greatest gains for patients, families, and relevant affiliates. In this case, the care team considers the drawbacks and benefits of experimental drugs to make a rational decision with the maximum happiness (Vearrier & Henderson, 2021). This way, utilitarianism supports the use of experimental drugs to increase chances of patients surviving.
Moral principles are also applicable when making decisions to use experimental drugs. Beneficence, autonomy, justice, and non-maleficence reflect professionals’ ability to deliver evidence-based and patient-centered care (Sibanda, 2019). Justice reinforces commitment to delivering equitable and fair services to all patients. In this regard, patients have the right to experimental drugs based on ability to increase recovery chances for all patients. However, organizations developing experimental drugs fail to involve patients in trials, which undermine the principle of justice. Beneficence reminds care providers to adhere to a patient’s best interests (Sibanda, 2019.
This way, patients seek treatments that offer them hopes of recovering and prolonging lives, making experimental drugs appropriate for individuals with complex conditions. With non-maleficence, the care team strives to avoid actions that could cause emotional, physical, or psychological harm (Iserson, 2020). Efforts to adhere to non-maleficence may prevent healthcare professionals from using experimental drugs on patients. Lastly, patients have a right to determine their treatment. Adequate explanation of the relevance of experimental drugs is necessary to enable patients to make informed decisions on whether to use the intervention.
Principle of Informed Consent
Patients have a right to self-determination, which means deciding whether to accept or reject experimental drugs. The principle of informed consent requires the care team to explain the drawbacks and benefits of experimental drugs to enable patients to make decisions. Informed consent enables healthcare professionals to describe standard practices and experimental treatments for a conclusive decision on their relevance in preventing severe complications and premature deaths (Millum & Bromwich, 2020). Informed consent makes individuals aware of safety issues associated with experimental drugs. The aim is to make patient confident using the drugs or acknowledge their decision to reject the treatment. However, patient’s desperation may force them to make uncomfortable decisions. Similarly, language barriers and patients’ chronic and complex conditions may jeopardize their ability to make informed decisions on using experimental drugs.
Costs and Gains Associated with Experimental Drugs
Experimental drugs offer opportunities to prevent severe complications and premature deaths. The benefits include offering hope to patients with complex and chronic conditions. Ideally, patients do not have to wait for long due to the extensive development and approval of new drugs (Mahant, 2020). Additionally, the thorough research and development procedures associated with experimental drugs increase the level of confidence in using them for complex situations. However, chronically ill patients with declining cognitive and physical abilities may have challenges processing details on the drawbacks and benefits of experimental drugs (Mahant, 2020). Patients’ failure to participate in clinical trials raises questions about acceptability of experimental drugs. Despite the drawbacks, experimental drugs remain a viable option for patients hoping to increase their chances of surviving.
Addressing Access to Pre-Approved Drugs
Patients with chronic and complex conditions seek alternatives with the potential to prolong life. For example, patients infected with high-risk viruses such as Ebola can benefit from pre-approved treatments to prevent severe complications and mortality risks (Sibanda, 2019). Similarly, the risks of mass casualties, social, and economic loses make experimental drugs appropriate for reducing health burden for the larger population. Thus, more people are free from viral infections that associated with mass deaths (O’Connor, 2019). However, questions emerge over the commercialized nature of the drug manufacturing process such that organizations benefit than the intended patients. The slow approval processes also limit more patients from accessing experimental drugs. Thus, manufacturers and the FDA should focus on ensuring that vulnerable populations affected by health disparities benefit from timely production and approval of experimental drugs.
Conclusion
Experimental drugs offer opportunities to patients to recover. The extensive clinical trials and approval processes enhance credibility of alternative treatments in handling patients with complex and chronic conditions. Adherence to ethical principles and theories enables care team to allow patients more freedom to make independent decisions. Accurate and complete description of drawbacks and benefits of experimental drugs is necessary to enable individuals to make decisions that match their values and preferences.
References
Dugan, D. (2019). Appreciating the legacy of Kübler-Ross: One clinical ethicist’s perspective. The American Journal of Bioethics, 19(12), 5-9. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2019.1676591
Iserson, K. (2020). Healthcare ethics during a pandemic. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(3), 477-483. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7234717/pdf/wjem-21-477.pdf
Mahant, V. (2020). “Right-to-Try” experimental drugs: An overview. Journal of Translational Medicine, 18(253), 1-5. https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12967-020-02427-4.pdf
Millum, J., & Bromwich, D. (2020). Informed consent: What must be disclosed and what must be understood? The American Journal of Bioethics 21(973), 1-19. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15265161.2020.1863511
O’Connor, J. (2019). Natural law and ethical non-naturalism. Studies in Christian Ethics, 34(2), 190-208. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/0953946820962893
Sibanda, O. (2019). Moral, ethical and human rights arguments for using experimental and clinically unproven drugs to combat the Ebola Virus Disease. Journal for Juridical Science, 44(1), 35-62. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2296664240/fulltextPDF/83FFAA4DE4B40CBPQ/1?accountid=27965
Vearrier, L., & Henderson, C. (2021). Utilitarian principle as a framework for crisis healthcare ethics. HEC Forum, 33, 45-60. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10730-020-09431-7.pdf?pdf=button