In one of the most prominent industries in the world, it is important to understand the drug development process and how an idea in the lab can turn into a product on the market. Here is an overview of the five main stages that get a prescription drug on the market for patients to use according to the FDA.

By An Nguyen

Mistaken death declarations were in the news this week when a 76-year-old woman in Ecuador, previously declared dead in a hospital, proved to be alive at her wake. What are the medical or legal requirements for declaration of death? How do mistakes occur and what are their consequences?

Category: In the News

How are long-term comatose states handled in medical and legal practice? Do patients sometimes wake up from these states? How have loved ones and providers made decisions to end life support? A collection of past headlines sheds some light.

By Alessandra Suuberg

In 2022, more than 2,000 prisoners were awaiting execution in the United States. What role do medicine and medical professionals play in executions and the lives of individuals on death row?

By Alessandra Suuberg

Decency LLC’s issue summary on medical aid in dying (MAiD) reviews legislative history in U.S. states and abroad; information and statistics related to MAiD laws’ use in practice; and concerns and considerations previously raised by patients, providers, and other stakeholders.

Category: Issue Summaries

Medical aid in dying (MAiD) made headlines in Massachusetts this month, given new attention in the courts and from lawmakers.

By Alessandra Suuberg

Just short of the mid-way mark, September has already been a busy month for biotechnology and biosecurity. From Boston to Geneva, here are some of the headlines.

Category: In the News

Everyone makes mistakes—well-intentioned healthcare providers not excluded. Medical professional apologies statutes, their underlying motivations, and their consequences typify the complexities of addressing and remedying patient harms and maintaining a “decent” healthcare system.

By Alessandra Suuberg

Detection of poliovirus in New York sewage samples in May, June, and July of 2022, and a case of paralytic polio in Rockland County, have raised concerns.

By Isabel Andaya, Guest Contributor

In 2020, Congress designated a new, nationwide ‘988’ number for suicide prevention and mental health crises. The 988 roll-out took place this July. As a former, pre-988 volunteer and employee at crisis centers, I was curious about the impact that this change would have on local crisis center practices and policies.

By Alessandra Suuberg

Dual-use technologies can be flipped and used in different ways. Pieces published this year in Nature Machine Intelligence discuss the possibility of using artificial intelligence for drug discovery (i.e., finding ways to heal), and then flipping that technology and using it to generate weapons (i.e., finding ways to harm).

By Alessandra Suuberg

While some Americans significantly benefit from having health insurance plans, others choose to remain uninsured. In answering the question of whether or not health insurance is worth purchasing, we must recognize that the response will differ greatly depending on whom we ask. However, for the population as a whole, purchasing health insurance is well worth it.

By Cassandra Mirasolo

With most goods and services, technology proves to be a powerful tool for researching products. How can it be that the American economy has developed into a system where it is easier to find reviews on jeans than to find reviews on health insurance plans?

By Cassandra Mirasolo

Shortly before I started Decency, I had a proverbial ‘aha! moment’ conversation with a friend, and it occurred to me to look back on the last 5+ years and ask: Was anything learned? There are two main takeaways from this journey. One, when you’re worried about what to do to help someone, take the time to listen to them. Two, you don’t always need to do something.

By Alessandra Suuberg

If you’ve read about this case and suspected it wasn’t just about a trademark, you’re right. It wasn’t.

By Alessandra Suuberg