[Legal aspects of alternative methods to animal testing]. / Aspects juridiques des méthodes alternatives à l'expérimentation animale.

While the total replacement of animal experimentation was the goal set by the European Directive of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, it has to be said that it is still far from being achieved. The number of animals is not decreasing and alternative methods are struggling to be used. Under pressure from the citizens, the European Commission has just made new commitments to define the stages and specific actions to be put in place to reduce animal testing, a prerequisite for the transition to an animal-free regulatory system. Given the shortcomings and lack of coherence in European policy, mobilising the public is an essential lever for speeding up the implementation of alternative methods.

Title: Aspects juridiques des méthodes alternatives à l'expérimentation animale. Abstract: Si le remplacement total de l'expérimentation animale était l'objectif visé par la directive européenne du 22 septembre 2010 relative à la protection des animaux utilisés à des fins scientifiques, force est de constater qu'il est encore loin d'être atteint. Le nombre d'animaux ne diminue pas et les méthodes alternatives peinent à être utilisées. La Commission européenne, sous la pression citoyenne, vient de prendre de nouveaux engagements pour définir les étapes et les actions spécifiques à mettre en place pour réduire l'expérimentation animale, condition préalable à la transition vers un système réglementaire sans animaux. Entre dysfonctionnements et manque de cohérence dans la politique européenne, la mobilisation des citoyens représente un levier indispensable à l'accélération de la mise en œuvre des méthodes alternatives.

Chapitre 6. The challenges and effects of digital medical devices on the doctor-patient relationship, as seen through the lens of treating sleep apnoea.

Tablets, smartphones, digital platforms, connected objects with or without Artificial Intelligence (AI) are invading our daily lives and transforming our relationships with others. Having already entered the field of wellness, in recent years we have seen the expectations and hopes raised by these new devices turn towards the field of health. In 2019, the European Parliament passed a resolution on a comprehensive European industrial policy on artificial intelligence and robotics 55, calling for caution in the use of algorithmic processes in the medical field and stressing that “the current system of approval of Digital Medical Devices may not be suitable for AI technologies”. Drawing on the framework of the treatment of sleep apnoea by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), our reflection highlights the fact that the increase in the amount of data, the acceleration of information, the disparity in the attractiveness and skills in IT and AI between the actors involved (doctors and patients), as well as the subjective effects of these changes lead to a redefinition of the doctor-patient relationship and a transformation of medical practice more generally.