NPR's Joe Palca reports on the murky ethical questions that can arise during medical research. Palca tells the story of a woman with multiple sclerosis who volunteered to test an experimental drug. She says she was promised a free supply of the medication in exchange for her participation. Medical ethicists say patients should never be made promises like that, and should not enter studies with the expectation that they will benefit personally.
Copyright 1996 NPR
