Law &. Ethics for Medical Careers 5th Edition by Karen Judson,Carlene Harrison

Exercise 29

In 2007, American patients with recurring head and neck cancers were traveling to China to receive gene therapy via a drug designed to activate the p53 gene, which is supposed to turn off cells that multiply abnormally, but often malfunctions, letting cancerous tumors grow. Since the drug was not FDA-approved in the United States, patients traveled to China to receive it, at a cost of $20,000 for the two-month treatment. No studies had yet been conducted to determine the efficacy of the treatment, but many patients believed their tumors were receding. A genetic research company in the United States was threatening to sue the Chinese company manufacturing the drug, alleging patent infringement.
In your opinion, should American patients be prohibited from traveling to foreign countries to receive unproven and possibly dangerous medical treatment? Explain your answer.
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