Published in Medical Education

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mirabilia_med_2016-01-08.pdf

The debate regarding synthetic phosphoethanolamine in Brazil is not entirely scientific. In the midst of an intense academic discussion about its biochemical aspects and clinical research issues, there is another one taking place on the field of Justice about the decisions that have been made leading to its release to general public. Ideally the arguments should rely mainly on ethical criteria, necessary for a large-scale production of the results of any scientific experiment. However, this episode disclosed that this debate is not only about correct application of ethical principia regulating Brazilian scientific research, for these rules have been currently in use and yet, they were not enough to prevent fabrication and distribution of phosphoethanolamine. Government agencies should pay strong attention to this fact and become truly and responsibly committed to stimulate research on new drugs, provided that it can be carried out following applicable ethical principia. Benefits of scientific research are supposed to level not only the financial expenditures but also its social costs, required for its development. It is mandatory to fill the gap between scientific and social responsibilities.