The Constant Gardener And The Bioethical Issues

The Constant Gardener And The Bioethical Issues

Introduction

Ethics in research and scientific terminology is dealing with the good or bad, right or wrong maintaining the moral responsibility and obligations related to human behavior. The ethical issue related to the use of new drug which is still under development is to gathered sufficient safety data and devise possible harmful effects it can bring to the human life (Jecker, 2011). Bioethics deals with problems related to the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical science involving human subjects at any stage of experimentation or testing a new drug.

Identification of the Issue

In the movie “constant gardener” the producer KDH and “Three Bees” are responsible for the new drug tests being performed. The movie is particularly showing the vision of unethical medical practices being carried out in the third world countries. Some of the references derived from the movie show treatment of AIDS and for new treatments for old illness like tuberculosis. The bioethical arises where the experimentation and research conducted by the pharmaceutical companies to test new drugs (Jimenez, 2006). The first violation of the bioethics is to conduct human experimentation for any purpose in which there are more risks to the subjects as compared to the benefits (Metz, 2010).

Since the Three Bee pharmaceutical company is testing the new drug without the proper informed consent from the subjects and they are not being intervened for the disease they are suffering from. Performing clinical research without proper informed consent and not maintain the privacy and confidentiality of the research data is a serious breach of ethical concerns (Metz, 2010). The subjects involved in the clinical research must clearly understand the rationale of research and the information which is given to them regarding the entire study protocol must be true. Secondly they cannot be forced to stay connected with the clinical search if they are not willing at any point; nobody can pressurize them for any act related to the study (Jecker, 2011). Whereas in this film the humans were treated like guinea pigs as no information was given to them regarding the risk benefit analysis and even the possible adverse effects were not even released before hand. They were not even given the choice to reject the treatment if they are not willing as they were misguided for the treatment they are receiving will cure their Aids and other pathologies for which they are dying (Jimenez, 2006).

Discussion of Issue

The three main issues which are widely discussed under the heading of bioethics are:

1) Informed Consent

Informed consent has been regarded as the cornerstone for the bioethical practice related to clinical research worldwide. But in developing countries the sponsors and the pharmaceutical companies do not understand its true meaning. In simple terms the word informed consent means a person who is selected to be part of the study must fully understand the nature of the procedure which will be followed, the subject must be answered all the questions they ask which complete ...