Pharmaceutical Companies and Ethics
Pharmaceutical Companies and Ethics
It would be a mistake to claim that the pharmaceutical industry has not contributed to a better way of life and a better standard of living. They have come up with treatments for cancer-in some types of cancer they have even come up with the cure. It would also be naïve however to pretend that there are not some issues that have come up throughout the years that lead us to question whether the pharmaceutical industry’s main concern is the well being of the patients or their profits.
There are many instances in which we might ask if it would be possible for the pharmaceutical industry to play a little nicer with the public and also be away of the laws and ethics that surround the decisions they make. One good question that always comes up, is whether it is ethical for drug companies to give gifts to doctors as incentives for them to suggest their product over some other company’s product. This obviously leads to questions such as: Did my doctor prescribe this medicine to me because I really need it, because it will help me, or simply because it will make him money? I agree that doctors getting kick backs from drug companies are a serious dilemma. However, I feel that by concentrating on that, we lose the forest but for the trees.
Unfortunately for all of us, the pharmaceutical industry, just like any other business rely on profits to be able to survive. Therefore, supply and demand is what drives everything they do, along with their profit margins. It is not hard to believe that where drug companies are concerned, profits come before ethics. In the United States we have the FDA, which is more or less of an ethical compass for our drug companies. They are the ones to decide if a drug is in a stage that can be tested on humans; dropped altogether; ready to be marketed and sold to consumers. The existence of the FDA, however, has not stopped companies from trying to maximize their profits by misusing their products-all it has done
It would be a mistake to claim that the pharmaceutical industry has not contributed to a better way of life and a better standard of living. They have come up with treatments for cancer-in some types of cancer they have even come up with the cure. It would also be naïve however to pretend that there are not some issues that have come up throughout the years that lead us to question whether the pharmaceutical industry’s main concern is the well being of the patients or their profits.
There are many instances in which we might ask if it would be possible for the pharmaceutical industry to play a little nicer with the public and also be away of the laws and ethics that surround the decisions they make. One good question that always comes up, is whether it is ethical for drug companies to give gifts to doctors as incentives for them to suggest their product over some other company’s product. This obviously leads to questions such as: Did my doctor prescribe this medicine to me because I really need it, because it will help me, or simply because it will make him money? I agree that doctors getting kick backs from drug companies are a serious dilemma. However, I feel that by concentrating on that, we lose the forest but for the trees.
Unfortunately for all of us, the pharmaceutical industry, just like any other business rely on profits to be able to survive. Therefore, supply and demand is what drives everything they do, along with their profit margins. It is not hard to believe that where drug companies are concerned, profits come before ethics. In the United States we have the FDA, which is more or less of an ethical compass for our drug companies. They are the ones to decide if a drug is in a stage that can be tested on humans; dropped altogether; ready to be marketed and sold to consumers. The existence of the FDA, however, has not stopped companies from trying to maximize their profits by misusing their products-all it has done
Cited: Coleman, Sarah. Nigeria Pfizer Scandal. April 2001. Article. 27 June 2013. .