"The biotech industry is at the vortex of two competing ethical principles: the obligation to develop innovative products to treat disease and society's responsibility to ensure that people have access to the medicines they need. Elected officials, bioethicists, the public and industry executives and researchers all struggle attempting to balance these concerns. The BIO
Board Bioethics Committee has launched an initiative to explore the ethical principles surrounding debates about access to innovative therapies. This case study provides an
opportunity to discuss these issues within the context of a fictional scenario similar to one faced by biotech companies. Participants will play the role of various stakeholders, including senior executives from a biotech company, a payer, a venture capitalist, a bioethicist and a patient advocate. A moderator will facilitate the discussion."

Objective1: Identify the top three challenges of this issue from the view of industry, patient advocacy and medical research.

Objective2: "Explore how these differing agendas intersect, using actual examples of successfully (or not) managing patient expectations—and lessons learned."

Objective3: View the issue's long-range impact on the drug development process and reputation assigned to industry through a bioethicist's lens, and consider the issue's value as academic research topic.