Ethical concerns with online direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-171
Author(s):  
Henry Curtis ◽  
Joseph Milner
Keyword(s):  
Direct Contact ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Prescription Medications ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Alternative Method

In recent years, online direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical companies have been created as an alternative method for individuals to get prescription medications. While these companies have noble aims to provide easier, more cost-effective access to medication, the fact that these companies both issue prescriptions (via entirely online medical reviews that can have no direct contact between physician and patient) as well as distribute and ship medications creates multiple ethical concerns. This paper aims to explore two in particular. First, this model creates conflicts of interest for the physicians hired by these companies to write prescriptions. Second, the lack of direct contact from physicians may be harmful to prospective patients. After analysing these issues, this paper argues that there ought to be further consideration for regulation and oversight for these companies.

Influences of Pharmaceutical Industry on Prescription Practices in Public and Private Hospitals of Islamabad- Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
Ahmed Latif ◽  
Muhammad Siddique Ansari ◽  
Muhammad Ibrahim Ansari ◽  
Rabia Malik ◽  
Abdul Ahad Sohoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Prescription Practices ◽  
Medication Therapy ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Times ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background:  To explore the influences of pharmaceutical companies on prescription practices and to find out types of incentives of pharmaceutical companies on medical doctors in private and public hospitals in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan  Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in 06 months May-Oct: 2017 in Islamabad (Capital City of Pakistan). Data were collected from doctors and pharmaceuticals representatives through snowballing sampling techniques through open ended questionnaire in which In-depth interviews were taken. In depth interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. Qualitative sub-component was included to triangulate the data, sub themes and themes were generated. Results: Respondent’s prescription is a basically document in which we suggest minimum effective medication therapy to the patient, that is also cost effective and give maximum treatment to the patient.  Few of the respondents are also agreeing on the point that most of the times patient itself influences to prescribe the particular product. Patient itself influences to prescribe the particular product that is redundant in its treatment regimen. Other respondents stated that prescription is varying from patient to patient and our priority is to give the medicine to the patient which shows good efficacy. Conclusion: Most doctors were maintaining protocol of prescription and using brand name of medicine. Pharmacists were visiting them on regular basis conditionally.

A Microbiology Teaching Lab: Using Koch's Postulates to Determine the Cause of “Peep Pox” in Marshmallow Peeps

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 676-679
Author(s):  
John L. Dahl ◽  
Wayne Gatlin
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Limited Time ◽  
Koch’S Postulates ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Effective Time ◽  
Microbial Isolation ◽  
Koch's Postulates

Koch's postulates are regularly included in the lecture portion of microbiology courses, but rarely are they demonstrated in a microbiology teaching lab. This is understandable given the logistical challenges of undergraduates working with pathogenic bacteria, ethical concerns using animals, and limited time constraints of a weekly lab period. Here we present a cost-effective, time-friendly lab activity that demonstrates the principles of microbial isolation and infection assays that are part of fulfilling Koch's postulates. The disease is “peep pox” caused by a gelatinase-positive bacterial species hydrolyzing marshmallow peeps that proxy as infected animals.

scholarly journals A hidden web of policy influence: The pharmaceutical industry’s engagement with UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Groups

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252551
Author(s):  
Emily Rickard ◽  
Piotr Ozieranski
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Total Drug ◽  
Conflicts Of Interests ◽  
Policy Influence ◽  
Patient Organisations ◽  
Drug Companies ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Industry Needs

Our objective was to examine conflicts of interest between the UK’s health-focused All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) and the pharmaceutical industry between 2012 and 2018. APPGs are informal cross-party groups revolving around a particular topic run by and for Members of the UK’s Houses of Commons and Lords. They facilitate engagement between parliamentarians and external organisations, disseminate knowledge, and generate debate through meetings, publications, and events. We identified APPGs focusing on physical or mental health, wellbeing, health care, or treatment and extracted details of their payments from external donors disclosed on the Register for All-Party Parliamentary Groups. We identified all donors which were pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical industry-funded patient organisations. We established that sixteen of 146 (11%) health-related APPGs had conflicts of interest indicated by reporting payments from thirty-five pharmaceutical companies worth £1,211,345.81 (16.6% of the £7,283,414.90 received by all health-related APPGs). Two APPGs (Health and Cancer) received more than half of the total value provided by drug companies. Fifty APPGs also had received payments from patient organisations with conflicts of interest, indicated by reporting 304 payments worth £986,054.94 from 57 (of 84) patient organisations which had received £27,883,556.3 from pharmaceutical companies across the same period. In total, drug companies and drug industry-funded patient organisations provided a combined total of £2,197,400.75 (30.2% of all funding received by health-related APPGs) and 468 (of 1,177–39.7%) payments to 58 (of 146–39.7%) health-related APPGs, with the APPG for Cancer receiving the most funding. In conclusion, we found evidence of conflicts of interests through APPGs receiving substantial income from pharmaceutical companies. Policy influence exerted by the pharmaceutical industry needs to be examined holistically, with an emphasis on relationships between actors potentially playing part in its lobbying campaigns. We also suggest ways of improving transparency of payment reporting by APPGs and pharmaceutical companies.

Investigation of Active Disassembly in Large Force Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Abuzied ◽  
Ayman Abbas ◽  
Mohamed Awad ◽  
Hesham Senbel
Keyword(s):  
Shape Memory Alloy ◽  
Shape Memory ◽  
Smart Materials ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Large Displacements ◽  
Large Force ◽  
Active Disassembly ◽  
Design And Manufacturing ◽  
Active Joints

Abstract Active disassembly (AD) is an emerging field of research in design for disassembly that enables a cost-effective nondestructive separation of product components. It is based on using active joints and fasteners that enables the self-disassembly of products without any direct contact between the product and the operator, where these joints and fasteners must be inserted in the product during its design and manufacturing phases. Generally, active joints and fasteners are made of smart materials such as shape memory alloys (SMAs), that can generate the necessary disassembly forces required to separate the different components of the product. Most of the exerted effort in this field of research was focused on separating products requiring small disassembly forces either in the electronic or automotive sectors. All these active disassembly applications were based on using shape memory alloy snap fits, clips, or wires that are characterized by their ability to generate small forces with large displacements. As, up to the authors knowledge, none of the exerted efforts were concerned with investigating the possibility of using the large disassembly forces that could be generated using shape memory alloy actuators in large force active disassembly applications. Consequently, the presented research aims to examine the possibility of applying active disassembly with products requiring large disassembly forces, having tapered surfaces and large mechanical structure. By presenting two case studies to validate the possibility of using active disassembly with large force applications, in addition to investigating the capability of using shape memory alloy actuators assembled either concentric or eccentric with the product structure.

Centering Human Subjects: The Ethics of “Desk Research” on Political Violence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Hoover Green ◽  
Dara Kay Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Data Production ◽  
Desk Research

Abstract Quantitative data about political violence are frequently based on “desk research,” data derived from secondary sources that do not require direct contact between researchers and participants, such as people who witnessed or experienced violence. The research that employs these data is often viewed implicitly as ethically uncomplicated. In contrast, we argue that the production and analysis of political violence data coded from secondary sources require careful ethical deliberation regarding human subjects concerns. We consider two broad classes of quantitative political violence data often gathered through desk research: incident lists and indices. For both types, we identify ethical concerns about how data production and use can affect research participants. We conclude by offering a series of suggestions on how to incorporate ethical considerations about human subjects into the design and evaluation of political violence research based on secondary sources.

scholarly journals Recruitment and Trial-Finding Apps—Time for Rules of the Road

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 (9) ◽  
pp. 882-886
Author(s):  
Stephanie R Morain ◽  
Emily A Largent
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Patient Centeredness ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
The Road ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Ethical Acceptability ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract The problem of insufficient recruitment to clinical oncology trials is well known. Some stakeholders view mobile apps as a solution with the potential to make recruitment more efficient, lower trial costs, support patient-centeredness, and accelerate treatment advances. Recruitment and trial-finding apps seek to disrupt the traditional approach to recruitment in several ways, including aggregating information about ongoing trials and presenting it in a user-friendly format, curating information to tailor search results to prospective participants’ interests, facilitating direct contact between prospective participants and trial sites, and, in at least one case, analyzing individuals’ tumor samples and medical records to provide tailored recommendations both for approved treatments and clinical trials. Although recruitment and trial-finding apps respond to a real need, they raise ethical concerns. Here, we outline six domains of ethical concern: review of recruitment materials, privacy and confidentiality, constrained choice and conflicts of interest, therapeutic misbranding, payment for accessing research-related information, and disruptions to care and research. We offer several suggestions and encourage additional dialogue to improve the ethical acceptability of these apps because, as third parties increasingly promise to revolutionize clinical trial recruitment by connecting patients and investigators via recruitment and trial-finding apps, we need some rules of the road.

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