Merck Case Study

Merck was at the top of the pharmaceutical market for many years. The company made substantial profits almost every year. Not only were they a company that made money but they also made their financial gains in an ethical manor. Fourton magazine even named them the “most admired” company. But in 2004, the company would be faced with major challenges that would threaten to end the company’s existence. Their once best selling painkiller Viol had been recalled by the federal government because the drug increased a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke. The federal government then opened an investigation on the company after internal emails surfaced. These emails were from Merck’s scientist to their executives stating that the drug Viox greatly increased a person’s chance of heart attack and stroke. Merck went on to introduce the drug despite this information. The once “most admired” company was suddenly in the middle of an ethical issue that no one would have expected. 1.Merck was faced with many challenges when it came time to introduce their new painkiller Viox. The company for many years had patents on other drugs that brought in the profits for the company. But these patents eventually were going to run out. The company was under the pressure to deliver a drug that would be able to be used in everyday life by everyone. This is also referred to as a blockbuster drug. They were also under the pressure to keep their good ethical name. Merck was forced to rush the development and testing period of the drug in order to introduce the drug and still make their substantial profits. The drug seemed to be the perfect cure for the company’s problems. But the scientist had major concerns about the drugs side effects. They had discovered that the drug significantly increased a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke. The scientists wrote an email to the executives stating their concerns. The executives choose to ignore the warnings and introduce the drug once it was