Fee-for-Service Research

The development of monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer, and the possibility of designing a set unique for each patient, has the specter of such experimental treatments someday being offered by-profit companies to those who can afford to underwrite the costs of the. Lind discusses some of the scientific, economic, and ethical issues by this kind of fee-for-service research. These include lack of protection by ethics committees, government regulation, or informed requirements; restriction of information and availability of treatment to the developer's proprietary interests; conflict of interest for the/physician; unequal access to new treatments; and possible depletion family resources spent to purchase unproven therapies. (KIE abstract)