Examining the Ethics of Clinical Use of Unproven Interventions Outside of Clinical Trials During the Ebola Epidemic
American Journal of Bioethics 15 (4):11-16 (2015)
Abstract
The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa began in the spring of 2014 and has since caused the deaths of over 6,000 people. Since there are no approved treatments or prevention modalities specifically targeted at Ebola Virus Disease , debate has focused on whether unproven interventions should be offered to Ebola patients outside of clinical trials. Those engaged in the debate have responded rapidly to a complex and evolving crisis, however, and this debate has not provided much opportunity for in-depth analysis. Additionally, the existing literature on access to unproven therapies has focused on contexts like HIV/AIDS and oncology, which are very different than the Ebola epidemic. In this paper, we examine the ethical issues surrounding access to unproven therapies in the context of the recent Ebola outbreak to yield new insights about this controversial and unsettled issue. We argue first that, in this context, the interests of patients in obtaining access to unproven therapies are not fully aligned..DOI
10.1080/15265161.2015.1010996
My notes
Similar books and articles
Placing and Evaluating Unproven Interventions Within a Clinical Ethical Taxonomy of Treatments for Ebola Virus Disease.Nathan G. Allen, Jennifer S. Blumenthal-Barby & Laurence B. McCullough - 2015 - American Journal of Bioethics 15 (4):50-53.
Ethical Challenges Posed by the Ebola Virus Epidemic in West Africa.Peter F. Omonzejele - 2014 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 11 (4):417-420.
Ebola Virus in West Africa: Waiting for the Owl of Minerva.Ross E. G. Upshur - 2014 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 11 (4):421-423.
Ebola, epidemics, and ethics - what we have learned.G. Kevin Donovan - 2014 - Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 9:15.
Prioritising Healthcare Workers for Ebola Treatment: Treating Those at Greatest Risk to Confer Greatest Benefit.Priya Satalkar, Bernice E. Elger & David M. Shaw - 2015 - Developing World Bioethics 15 (2):59-67.
Situating the Trovan Trial With the Use of Experimental Ebola Therapies Is Like Comparing an Apple With an Orange.Muhammed O. Afolabi - 2015 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 12 (1):19-20.
Selecting the Right Tool For the Job.Arthur L. Caplan, Carolyn Plunkett & Bruce Levin - 2015 - American Journal of Bioethics 15 (4):4-10.
In Defense of (Some) Altered Standards of Care for Ebola Infections in Developed Countries.Philip M. Rosoff - 2015 - HEC Forum 27 (1):1-9.
Caring for the Suffering: Meeting the Ebola Crisis Responsibly.Philip M. Rosoff - 2015 - American Journal of Bioethics 15 (4):26-32.
Explaining and responding to the Ebola epidemic.Solomon Benatar - 2015 - Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 10:5.
The Roles and Responsibilities of Physicians in Patients' Decisions about Unproven Stem Cell Therapies.Aaron D. Levine & Leslie E. Wolf - 2012 - Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 40 (1):122-134.
Using the Ebola Outbreak as an Opportunity to Educate on Vaccine Utility.Brandon Brown - 2014 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 11 (4):415-416.
Allowing Innovative Stem Cell-Based Therapies Outside of Clinical Trials: Ethical and Policy Challenges.Insoo Hyun - 2010 - Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 38 (2):277-285.
Weighing the Importance of Palliation of Symptoms for Ebola Patients During the Epidemic in West Africa.Marion Danis - 2015 - American Journal of Bioethics 15 (4):70-72.
The effective treatment of juveniles who sexually offend: An ethical imperative.Elizabeth J. Letourneau & Charles M. Borduin - 2008 - Ethics and Behavior 18 (2-3):286 – 306.
Analytics
Added to PP
2015-04-10
Downloads
28 (#418,627)
6 months
1 (#449,844)
2015-04-10
Downloads
28 (#418,627)
6 months
1 (#449,844)
Historical graph of downloads
Citations of this work
The Ebola clinical trials: a precedent for research ethics in disasters.Philippe Calain - 2018 - Journal of Medical Ethics 44 (1):3-8.
The Ebola clinical trials: a precedent for research ethics in disasters.Philippe Calain - 2017 - Journal of Medical Ethics Recent Issues 44 (1):3-8.
The Practice of Pharmaceutics and the Obligation to Expand Access to Investigational Drugs.Michael Buckley & Collin O’Neil - 2020 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 45 (2):193-211.
Accessing unproven interventions in the COVID-19 pandemic: discussion on the ethics of 'compassionate therapies in times of catastrophic pandemics.Shlomit Zuckerman, Yaron Barlavie, Yaron Niv, Dana Arad & Shaul Lev - 2022 - Journal of Medical Ethics 48 (12):1000-1005.
Ethical considerations surrounding the response to Ebola: the Spanish experience.Miguel Ángel Royo-Bordonada & Fernando J. García López - 2016 - BMC Medical Ethics 17 (1):49.
References found in this work
Ethical Justifications for Access to Unapproved Medical Interventions: An Argument for (Limited) Patient Obligations.Mary Jean Walker, Wendy A. Rogers & Vikki Entwistle - 2014 - American Journal of Bioethics 14 (11):3-15.
The principle of beneficence in applied ethics.Tom Beauchamp - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Ethics of clinical science in a public health emergency: Drug discovery at the bedside.Sarah Jl Edwards - 2013 - American Journal of Bioethics 13 (9):3-14.
Ebola Virus in West Africa: Waiting for the Owl of Minerva.Ross E. G. Upshur - 2014 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 11 (4):421-423.
Special Access Programs Warrant Further Critical Attention: Authors' Response to Open Peer Commentaries on “Ethical Justifications for Access to Unapproved Medical Interventions: An Argument for (Limited) Patient Obligations”.Mary Jean Walker, Wendy A. Rogers & Vikki Entwistle - 2014 - American Journal of Bioethics 14 (11):W1 - W2.