Jake Seliger has died (marginalrevolution.com)

Article summary

Jake Seliger, a writer and advocate for speeding up drug research and development, has passed away due to cancer. He was known for his thoughtful essays and his interest in FDA deregulation. His wife, Bess Stillman, is an ER physician and has written about the difficulties of getting patients enrolled in clinical trials. Jake's death has sparked a discussion about the balance between safety and access to experimental treatments.

Main themes

• Cancer and mortality
• FDA regulation
• Drug development
• Patient autonomy
• Medical ethics

What commenters say

• Terminal patients should have the right to try experimental treatments, even if they are not proven to be safe or effective.
• Allowing terminal patients to take unapproved drugs could lead to exploitation by unscrupulous companies and harm to patients.
• The current regulatory process is too slow and prevents potentially life-saving treatments from reaching patients in time.
• The benefits of fast-tracking the approval process for experimental drugs may outweigh the risks, but it is not socially or politically tenable.
• Patients should not be allowed to make decisions about trying experimental treatments without proper medical guidance and oversight.
• The value of individual autonomy and the right to make choices about one's own body should be prioritized in the context of experimental treatments.
• The primary goal of the regulatory process should be to protect patients from harm, rather than to advance medical science or promote patient autonomy.
• The current system is biased towards safety, but this may come at the cost of preventing potentially life-saving treatments from being developed and approved.