Ep. 4: Jessica Flanigan on Patients’ Rights vs. Medical Paternalism, the Ethics of Human Challenge Trials and Accelerating Medical Innovation

Niklas talks with Jessica Flanigan, Associate Professor at the University of Richmond. Jessica's research addresses the ethics of public policy, medicine, and business.

Jessica is the author of two books. In "Pharmaceutical Freedom" (Oxford University Press, 2017), she defends rights of self-medication. In "Debating Sex Work" (Oxford University Press, 2019), she defends the decriminalization of sex work.

We start by talking about Jessica's work on pharmaceutical freedom. Jessica claims that medical authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who are supposed to protect patients, are in fact causing grave harm by making innovation costly and acting immorally by using a prohibitive approach to medication.

While this claim seems controversial, Jessica is using common-sense ethical principles such as "my body, my choice" as a basis. Her research into the history of medical ethics reveals surprising insights such as cultural shifts.

The choices embedded in the status quo are by no means inevitable or immutable.

In the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, Jessica believes we have a chance to learn from the failure of institutions and not only expand medical freedom, but also innovation: human challenge trials could further progress. Ethics committees rarely if ever allow them, but Jessica debunks the arguments against them.

We conclude that the main requirement for more progress in medical innovation is experimentation and developing better, non-prohibitive regulatory practices.

We invite you to join us to build the healthcare system of the future together on Roatan, Honduras, a beautiful Caribbean island:

Supercharging Health 2023 - A Próspera Builders’ Summit, April 21-23 on Roatan: https://infinitavc.com/healthbio2023

Infinita Website: https://infinitavc.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com