Who Gets to Decide Who Receives Experimental Medical Treatments?

August 10, 2023

(MIT Technology Review) – There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might not help them—and could harm them. Anecdotes appear to be overpowering evidence in decisions on drug approval. As a result, we’re ending up with some drugs that don’t work.

We urgently need to question how these decisions are made. Who should have access to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are especially pressing considering how quickly biotechnology is advancing. (Read More)