By Rafael Escandon Pfizer announced, surprisingly, on February 20, that they plan to discontinue commercial availability of Beqvez, their recently approved gene therapy (GT) for Hemophilia B. They also announced, in separate communications in mid and late 2024, their terminations of investments in a partnership for a Hemophilia A GT, and their discontinuation of a […]
Latest articles
Safeguarding Patient Data in AI-Driven Healthcare: The Trust-Access Dilemma
By Seyed Amir Ahmad Safavi-Naini In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming medicine, patient data is more valuable than ever. Open-access initiatives have revolutionized research by fostering collaboration and accelerating innovation. However, they also pose profound ethical challenges, particularly regarding patient consent and the commercialization of data. As we navigate this complex landscape, […]
The USA’s Food and Drug Administration and informed consent
By Hugh Davies The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) initiative Over the last three decades seeking consent of patients or volunteers to join a medical research study has become dominated by an increasingly lengthy, opaque and Participant Information Sheet (PIS), shielding the researcher from liability. The FDA argues that Informed consent documents are often long, […]
Simulated empathy in surgical informed consent: Should AI comfort patients or just inform them?
By Pranab Rudra. The use of AI in healthcare is rapidly expanding, raising critical ethical questions about its role in informed consent, a process that relies not only on clear, accurate information but also on genuine human connection. This focus is crucial because informed consent is both an informational and an emotional interaction, and any […]
The doctor will speak as you prefer? How AI could personalize medical communication
By Hazem Zohny, Jemima Winfried Allen, Dominic Wilkinson, and Julian Savulescu. When you go to the doctor, there’s little telling what kind of communicator you’ll get. Some doctors are on the paternalistic side, telling you what you should do without much discussion. Others just give you the facts and leave the decision entirely to you. […]
My digital twin is queer
By Jose Luis Guerrero Quiñones and Anna Puzio. What if we could avoid (at least to some extent) doctors’ appointments? No more waiting times, no more moving around hospital floors. Who wouldn’t be happy to send someone else in their place for certain medical examinations? In the future, instead of undergoing a thorough physical examination, […]
Exploring the ethical controversy of ‘live tissue training’
By Cara Swain ‘Live tissue training’ (or LTT) is a term used to describe the use of living anaesthetised animals for medical education purposes. Within surgical specialties, live animals are used for skill acquisition and practice in a variety of surgical techniques, including laparoscopic, endoscopic, robotic, microsurgery as well as traditional ‘open’ surgery. Examples range […]
Beyond ‘do no harm’: The ethics of maximizing benefit from psychedelics in healthcare
By Jason Luoma and Brian Pilecki. The use of psychedelics in the USA has rapidly increased over the last decade, not only for recreational purposes but also for therapeutic purposes. For example, rates of Google searches on microdosing have skyrocketed since 2015 demonstrating strong interest in using psychedelics for improving personal well-being among the public. […]
Confucian-inspired global bioethics
By Nancy S. Jecker and Roger Yat-Nork Chung. Bioethics faces challenges with respect to equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a group, we bioethicists are unrepresentative of the global population we increasingly serve. Leading bioethics scholars and institutions are situated mostly in the politically and economically dominant countries of the Global North. Within countries, bioethicists are […]
Jannik Sinner: The world’s best male tennis player has been banned for doping – but the real sinner is not Jannik, it’s WADA
By Thomas Søbirk Petersen. The tennis world is in shock. Jannik Sinner, the men’s Number 1-ranked tennis player and winner of the two recent grand slams in tennis (the US Open 2024 and the Australian Open 2025), has received a three-month doping ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The ban was initiated on February […]