TY - JOUR
T1 - Principles for Just Prioritization of Expensive Biological Therapies in the Danish Health Care System
AU - Bladt, Tara Marianne
AU - Vorup-Jensen, Thomas
AU - Ebbesen, Mette
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - The Danish healthcare system must meet the need for easy and equal access to healthcare for every citizen. However, investigations have shown unfair prioritization of cancer patients and unfair prioritization of resources for expensive medicines over care. What is needed are principles for proper prioritization. This article investigates whether American ethicists Tom Beauchamp and James Childress’s principle of justice may be helpful as a conceptual framework for reflections on prioritization of expensive biological therapies in the Danish healthcare system. We present an empirical study exploring the principles for prioritizing new expensive biological therapies. This study includes qualitative interviews with key Danish stakeholders experienced in antibody therapy and prioritizing resources for expensive medicines. Beauchamp and Childress’s model only covers government-funded primary and acute healthcare. Based on the interviews, this study indicates that to be helpful in a Danish context this model should include equal access for citizens to government-funded primary and acute healthcare, costly medicine, and other scarce treatments. We conclude that slightly modified, Beauchamp and Childress’s principle of justice might be useful as a conceptual framework for reflections on the prioritization of expensive biological therapies in the Danish healthcare system.
AB - The Danish healthcare system must meet the need for easy and equal access to healthcare for every citizen. However, investigations have shown unfair prioritization of cancer patients and unfair prioritization of resources for expensive medicines over care. What is needed are principles for proper prioritization. This article investigates whether American ethicists Tom Beauchamp and James Childress’s principle of justice may be helpful as a conceptual framework for reflections on prioritization of expensive biological therapies in the Danish healthcare system. We present an empirical study exploring the principles for prioritizing new expensive biological therapies. This study includes qualitative interviews with key Danish stakeholders experienced in antibody therapy and prioritizing resources for expensive medicines. Beauchamp and Childress’s model only covers government-funded primary and acute healthcare. Based on the interviews, this study indicates that to be helpful in a Danish context this model should include equal access for citizens to government-funded primary and acute healthcare, costly medicine, and other scarce treatments. We conclude that slightly modified, Beauchamp and Childress’s principle of justice might be useful as a conceptual framework for reflections on the prioritization of expensive biological therapies in the Danish healthcare system.
KW - Expensive therapies
KW - Healthcare system
KW - Justice
KW - Principles
KW - Prioritization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85171780986&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11673-023-10283-2
DO - 10.1007/s11673-023-10283-2
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37733175
SN - 1176-7529
VL - 20
SP - 523
EP - 542
JO - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
JF - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry
IS - 3
M1 - 20 (3)
ER -