The objective of this debate held in Barcelona on 17 January 2007 was to gather a small group of people interested in different aspects relating to medicament treatment. The debate focused on four specific topics: the informed consent, the relationship between therapeutics and quality of life, the dilemma created by promising medicaments whose use is necessarily restricted, and the possible remuneration of patients accepting to be recruited for clinical trials.
With the purpose of creating an open, spontaneous dialog, the decision was made to invite health care providers as well as other people involved one way or the other in any of these topics. The eight participants in this debate organized by the Esteve Foundation were:
Águeda Alonso
Spanish Association of Multiple Sclerosis
Xavier Carné
Clinical Pharmacology Unit.
Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona
María Casado
Bioethics and Law Observatory
Universitat de Barcelona
Gloria Cavanna
Federation of Associations for the Defense of Public Health
Montserrat Doménech
Àgata Group (Catalan Association of Women with Breast Cancer)
Pere Gascón
Medical Oncology Service
Clinical Institute for Hemato-Oncological Diseases
Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona
Gaietà Permanyer
Cardiology Service
Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron
José Ramírez
Association of Coronary Patients (APACOR)