Xenotransplantation

Development and effects of medicine on society increased since the last century esp. when organ transplantations became successful. Consequently, a shortage of donor organs can be considered. One of the possibilities to solve the problem is the production of xenografts. Besides the scientific problems, the using of xenografts raised a lot of ethical and legal questions that are not so easily to solve. Xenotransplantation can also be seen as a high-cost and highly specialised medicine, which has to go through the development, approval and procurement process of medicine at all. Regulatory capacity is clearly needed in all countries of the world. Consumer access is another important area of discussion, not only for the 2nd and 3rd world. In volume 4 ethical, legal, economic and social questions will be discussed from country perspectives: Portugal, Spain and UK.