Johnson & Johnson Thursday announced that it will become the first pharmaceutical company to formally seek advice from outside medical ethicists on 'compassionate use' requests.

As per experts, under the 'compassionate use' requests, a patient asks drug makers to allow them to take an experimental medication. But is has been told that the ethicists' recommendations will be advisory, with J&J making the decision.

Bioethicist Arthur Caplan of NYU School of Medicine stated that the drug maker must give is liable to provide a rationale if they disagree.

Caplan, who will lead the committee of 10 and recommended the approach to J&J, said that he do not think that they will continue to do it if the company will keep on ignoring them.

Some ethicists said they were concerned about it because J&J does not plan to disclose the advisors' recommendations to the public.

Craig Klugman of DePaul University said, "I'd like to think this is a well-meaning way to make compassionate-use decisions as objective as possible. But my cynical side says it gives the company another way to say no".

Some also said that the compassionate-use can also put the drug maker in an unwelcome spotlight, casting it as heartless.

In 2013, doctors treating a 7-year-old with a potentially-fatal infection asked Chimerix Inc. to provide its investigational anti-viral brincidofovir to the boy.

After the company denied twice, the family started a campaign on social media, causing Chimerix to be bombarded with phone calls and emails pleading the boy's case.

Later after intense media coverage, Chimerix gave up and replaced the chief executive officer, and the boy got the drug.

It might seem that patients with no other options should get access to experimental drugs that can come at a cost. Such experimental have short supply and could delay an effective drug from reaching the market and helping other patients, said Klugman.