85284 - Bioethics

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students know: - the main ethical issues in the clinical trials of drugs and the management of technological innovation on an international scene, considering human, legal and criminological factors; - principles regulating independent information on medicinal products; - the problem of conflicts of interest in medical care and research; how to identify and deal with conflicts of interest (risk and decision-making); - the emergency management and the new role of the pharmacist. The learning path is integrated by: - practical elements of health psychology and the pharmacist-user relationship; - teamwork experience.

Course contents

This course explores the value dimensions of pharmacy practice through the lens of bioethics and philosophy. Each session combines theoretical input and case discussion.

Topics include:

1. Basic Concepts in Bioethics
1.1. Introduction to applied ethics
1.2. Utilitarianism, deontology, principlism
1.3. How to approach an ethical problem

2. Ethics and Professional Practice
2.1. The role of ethics in professional practice
2.2. Professional codes of ethics
2.3. Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice for pharmacists

3. Conscientious Objection
3.1. Moral dilemmas: refusing to dispense?
3.2. The pharmacist’s moral responsibility and the patient’s autonomy

4. Epistemic Injustice and Bias
4.1. Discrimination in care and health communication
4.2. Elements of ethical communication
4.3. Cultural diversity and inequalities in access to care


5. Elements of Research Ethics in Pharmacology
5.1. Clinical trials and pharmacovigilance
5.2. Informed consent and protection of vulnerable subjects
5.3. Conflicts of interest and scientific integrity

6. Ethics of Drug Pricing
6.1. Market logic and distributive justice
6.2. Access to medicines as a right?
6.3. Role of pharmaceutical industries and health policy


7. Ethics of Vaccination
7.1. Individual rights vs. the common good
7.2. Vaccine mandates and personal freedom
7.3. Global justice in vaccine distribution

Readings/Bibliography

While course slides are an essential resource, they are not sufficient on their own to prepare for the exam.

Core Readings (Required)
- What is Philosophy? – 1000wordphilosophy
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2020/10/10/philosophy/

- Applied Ethics – 1000wordphilosophy
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2018/02/13/applied-ethics/

- Consequentialism and Utilitarianism
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2014/05/15/consequentialism/

- Introduction to Deontology
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2014/06/09/introduction-to-deontology-kantian-ethics/

- Principlism in Biomedical Ethics
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2021/02/16/principlism-in-biomedical-ethics/

- Codes of Ethics for Pharmacists
EFPIA Code of Practice (2025). PDF on Virtuale
Italian Code of Ethics for Pharmacists (2018). PDF on Virtuale; English translation will be made available

- Informed Consent – AMA
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/informed-consent

 - Weinstein BD. (1992). Do pharmacists have a right to refuse to fill prescriptions for abortifacient drugs? Law Med Health Care, 20(3), 220–3. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720x.1992.tb01192.x


- Entis L. (2019). Why Does Medicine Cost So Much? – Time.
https://time.com/5564547/drug-prices-medicine/

- Epistemic Injustice
https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2020/07/21/epistemic-injustice/

- CIOMS (2016). International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans. Geneva: Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) – in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Selected parts (Guidelines 1, 9, 23).
Available at: https://cioms.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WEB-CIOMS-EthicalGuidelines.pdf

- Rieder T. There Are Plenty of Moral Reasons to Be Vaccinated – The Conversation
https://theconversation.com/there-are-plenty-of-moral-reasons-to-be-vaccinated-but-that-doesnt-mean-its-your-ethical-duty-158687

Supplementary Readings (Optional)
- Zolf B. (2019). No conscientious objection without normative justification: Against conscientious objection in medicine. Bioethics, 33(1), 146–153. doi: 10.1111/bioe.12521

- How We Fail Black Patients in Pain – AAMC News
https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/how-we-fail-black-patients-pain

- Hoffman et al. (2016), Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment Recommendations. PNAS. (PDF on Virtuale)


- Emanuel EJ. (2019), Big Pharma’s Go-To Defense of Soaring Drug Prices Doesn’t Add Up, The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/03/drug-prices-high-cost-research-and-development/585253/

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures with discussion

Short readings and guided group analysis

Case-based discussion of real dilemmas

Assessment methods

The exam consists of 14 open-ended questions on the course content.
Each answer is awarded a score from 0 to 2 points, based on the following criteria:

2 points: complete, correct, and well-structured answer

1 point: partial or inaccurate answer

0 points: missing or irrelevant answer

The maximum score is 28, with up to 4 additional points available for overall quality (clarity of expression, reasoning ability, originality), for a total maximum of 32 points (corresponding to 30 cum laude).

Students may choose to complete two written in-class assignments during the course, as an alternative to the final exam.
The assignments consist of open-ended summary questions on topics covered in the previous classes.
The final grade will be calculated as the average of the two written assignments.


Please note:


To take the exam, students must have attended at least 70% of the lectures. Please ensure that you have fulfilled the prerequisites indicated in the study plan.


Students with learning disabilities or temporary/permanent impairments:
Please contact the relevant support office as soon as possible:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students
so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged.
Requests for accommodation must be submitted at least 15 days before the exam date to the instructor, who will assess their suitability in light of the course learning objectives.

Teaching tools

PDF class slides on Virtuale

Course readings on Virtuale 

Optional:  supplementary videos

Office hours

See the website of Elisabetta Lalumera