Cost-Related Non-Adherence to Prescribed Medicines: What Are Physicians' Moral Duties?

As the price of pharmaceuticals and biologicals rises so does the number of patients who cannot afford them. In this article, we argue that physicians have a moral duty to help patients access affordable medicines. We offer three grounds to support our argument: (i) the aim of prescribing is to impr...

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Publicado en:American Journal of Bioethics Vol. 25; no. 8; pp. 111 - 123
Autores principales: Ghinea, Narcyz, Hutchison, Katrina, Lotz, Mianna, Rogers, Wendy A.
Formato: Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Aug2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2025
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        atl: Cost-Related Non-Adherence to Prescribed Medicines: What Are Physicians' Moral Duties?
      aug:
        au:
          Ghinea, Narcyz
          Hutchison, Katrina
          Lotz, Mianna
          Rogers, Wendy A.
        affil: Macquarie University
      sug:
        subj:
          Medication Compliance Evaluation
          Health Care Costs
          Drugs, Prescription Economics
          Physicians Ethical Issues
          Drugs, Prescription Supply and Distribution
          Ethics, Medical
          Accountability Ethical Issues
          Health Services Accessibility
          Wellness
          Health Care Delivery
          Pharmaceutical Companies
          Physician-Patient Relations
          Right to Health
          Patient Preference
      ab: As the price of pharmaceuticals and biologicals rises so does the number of patients who cannot afford them. In this article, we argue that physicians have a moral duty to help patients access affordable medicines. We offer three grounds to support our argument: (i) the aim of prescribing is to improve health and well-being which can only be realized with secure access to treatment; (ii) there is no morally significant difference between medicines being unavailable and medicines being unaffordable, so the steps physicians are willing to take in the first case should extend to the second; and (iii) as the primary stakeholder with a duty to put the individual patient's interests first, the medical professional has a duty to address cost-barriers to patient care. In articulating this duty, we take account of important epistemic and control conditions that must be met for the attribution of this duty to be justified.
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      doctype: Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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