'Living While Dying' episode 14: Drug trial ethics

Bruce Kramer
Dr. Jeffrey Strommer, foreground, re-calibrates Bruce Kramer's diaphragmatic pacing system to give a greater jolt to the diaphragm Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 at Saint Marys Hospital, which is part of the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester. Much like a heart pacemaker, only with the power source outside of the body, the diaphragmatic pacing system stimulates the diaphragm helping the patient take deeper breaths.
Jennifer Simonson | MPR News 2013

Bruce Kramer believed that researchers need to rethink the way they test new drugs on ALS patients like him.

He argued that the double-blind testing model doesn't work for a devastating fatal illness like ALS.

In this episode of Living While Dying, we also hear from a bio-ethicist about the decision to deny some patients access to an experimental drug.

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