The Ethical Aspects of Nano Medicine

Abstract

In its Opinion the EGE acknowledges that nanomedicine offers the possibility of new diagnostic, treatment and preventive methods that may open up promising areas of medicine. The Opinion focuses on ethics issues arising from nanomedicine but also discusses a number of problems raised by nanotechnology insofar as they concern primarily health-related issues. The EGE underlines the vital importance of addressing concern for safety with respect to nanomedical developments (and, in fact, nanotechnology in general) and therefore advocates the need to establish measures to verify the safety of nanomedical products and to ensure that nanomedical devices are properly assessed with regard to public health. The Group proposes that institutions already operating at European and national level to protect the safety of patients and citizens should be charged with the additional task of overviewing the safety and security aspects of new tools and devices in nanomedicine. The Group then underlines the need to properly address risk assessment at national and EU level and invites relevant stakeholders to devote adequate efforts to understanding and preventing risks that may be linked to nanomedicine.