Drug Testing in Nigeria Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background 3-4 Ethical Dilemma 4-5 Situational Analysis 5-6 Stakeholder Analysis 6-7 Analysis Based on Ethical Theories 7-8 Conclusion and Recommendations 8-9 References 10 Drug Testing in Nigeria Introduction ‘What if a drug company experimenting on critically ill children does not get the proper Parental consent, 11 of those children die and a whistleblower is fired?’ (Perlroth. 2008) This paper will discuss the issues caused by the actions taken by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company. First, we will discuss the ethical dilemmas caused by the testing and identify the factors related to individuals involved; companies and managerial practices and policies, as well as …show more content…
In addition, there was the pressure to finish testing and get FDA approval. On the other hand, the children and people of Kano needed medical aid more than anything but only a few were receiving it, in the form of Intramuscular antibiotics that were difficult to administer. Trovan promised a quick cure with a bottle of pills (Spar and Day, 2006, p. 11). According to one drug researcher, it ‘was kind of a desperate time for Nigeria, they were happy to have anyone come in and do just about any kind of work’ (Stephens, 1996/7). Pfizer had already tested a combination of oral and intravenous Trovan successfully on two strains of bacteria known to cause meningitis. Scientific research strongly suggests that Trovan would be effective against the Nigerian bacteria (Spar and Day, 2006, p. 10). Another ethical dilemma could be conducting medical experiments without the consent of the Families as well as exploiting of a developing country. Situational Analysis Several factors helped to create the ethical dilemmas addressed above. Pfizer pharmaceutical company has an estimated market value of Troval once the FDA approves all its uses. Upon approval, it would be worth $1 billion. It was also critical for pharmaceutical companies to have an uninterrupted flow of new drug discoveries, as it was essential for growth and profitability (Spar and Day, 2006, p. 3). According to scientist, overseas
Critics have pointed a finger at the unethical use of intellectual property in the pharmaceutical industry claiming it is being used to set prices far above what those in third world countries can afford. Given that a good number of the raw material came from these regions, it is unethical to use intellectual property
"Children, young people, their parents or legal guardians, and health care professionals in all settings make decisions about medicines based on sound information about risk and benefit. They have access to safe and effective medicines that are prescribed on the basis of the best available evidence" (Caldwell, 2013).
There is a big question floating in the air around a lot of people today,
The twenty-first century has seen pharmaceutical companies grow in unprecedented size and strength. Due to the unprecedented growth the larger pharmaceutical companies have gained leverage and power in the prescription drug industry, but they lack innovation to market and they seek ways to help the business continue to increase its profits. The pharmaceutical industry was once ethically sound and was a valuable player in the development of human health. However, overtime with the lack of innovation pharmaceutical companies are becoming an unethical market that exploits patients, doctors and anyone else it can to increase its profitability. With eyes only on profitability this can create a hazard for patients because there
The state spent $493,000 on drug testing for this fiscal year. It received 32,511 welfare applications and referred 636 for drug testing. Only twenty came back positive, although nearly two hundred people refused to comply. But even if all 200 were drug users, that still comes to more than $2,200 per positive result, which is more expensive than the median benefit in the state. (Benen 1)
Even though drug testing is very expensive, ALL high school’s athletes should be tested because drugs are bad for your health and very addictive. A simple drug test could save many lives. Many schools around deny the request to drug test their athletes for the simple conclusion that the cost of the testing would just be to expensive. I disagree whole heartedly on that because although it may be expensive, we could save so many lives by requiring drug tests to play sports. Many students have love for the game who would have no problem giving up drugs for the chance to play sports with drug tests and a little guidance.
In 1977, Peter Goldmark, the director for the state of New York, said, "Welfare, is hated by those who administer it, mistrusted by those who pay for it, and held in contempt by those who receive it" (Auerbach 2016). Goldmark's statement still rings true today. People have found a way to live off of welfare. They have figured out how to live off of another person's hard worked for money. It is unfair to those who are working to make a living to have to support people who do not even try to support themselves. People have become so entitled today that they believe that the world owes them. We owe it to ourselves to work for the lifestyle we want. We have to work for what we want because no one else should have to for us. It is understandable
Throughout recent years, applicant drug testing has become one of the most prevalently used strategies by many organizations to control substance abuse in the workplace. Drug testing is a selection tool used by organizations to determine whether or not an individual has previously used drugs and/or alcohol. Most employers find that drug testing, if done correctly, is a worthwhile investment associated with increased workplace safety, lower absenteeism, fewer on-the-job accidents, improved productivity, lower theft rates, and less medical and workers' compensation expenses (Grondin 142). By identifying and screening out substance abusers, organizations believe that they are also screening out those
The Pharmaceutical industry has been in the spotlight for decades due to the fact that they have a reputation for being unethical in its marketing strategies. In The Washington Post Shannon Brownlee (2008) states, “We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow.” This honorable statement is completely lost in today’s world of pharmaceutical marketing tactics. These tactics are often deceptive and biased. Big Pharma consistently forgets their moral purpose and focuses primarily on the almighty dollar. Big Pharma is working on restoring their reputation by reforming their ethical code of conduct.
Drug testing has become a very big issue for many companies. Approximately eighty-one percent of companies in the United States administer drug testing to their employees. Of these, seventy-seven percent of companies test employees prior to employment. Even with the commonality of drug testing, it is still a practice that is generally limited to larger corporations which have the financial stability, as well as the human resources to effectively carry out a drug testing program. In the United States, it is suggested that as many as 70 percent of drug users are employed. Now this is a huge chunk, but as a result of drug testing, these big corporations have a significantly lower percentage of the employed drug users on their
Critical issued of the appropriateness of conducting clinical trials in emerging countries has arisen over years. Being a leading company in biopharmaceutical industry, Novo Nordisk faces the critiques of whether it is justice to offshoring their clinical trials in developing economies. With the consistency of ethical principles brought up by Novo Nordisk, the company would be able to move their trials into emerging economies with the best interest for stakeholders. I will also propose ideas to Mr, Dejgaard for possible approach to media as well as the practices that Novo Nordisk could have changed over time at the end.
Over the past couple of decades, a sudden change has started to take over the way business is done. The time when no rules applied, and anyone could do what they pleased at the cost of others or the environment is rapidly ending. Instead, companies today have become aware that it is essential for them to employ ethics and morality in their actions, if not they will be heavily scrutinized and rejected by the public. This way of thinking also applies to the pharmaceutical industry, which over the past century has been rapidly expanding. Do to the fact that this industry can determine the health and lives of millions of people, it is imperative that this industry follow an ethical and moral path.
Thesis Statement : Colleges should have mandatory drug test so that the school can filter out the drug users and guide them for a better future.
The cost of new medical drugs seems to be accepted by many people who use them. These pharmaceutical companies increase their profits more and more each year because many people assume that it does cost a lot of money for research and development. Where in reality, they are only spending about 15% of their profit margins on research and development alone. A huge percentage of these drugs are actually tested in other countries where people are more willing to do trials with these drugs because they cannot afford them. Not only are there more people who are more willing to try them, but also there is less regulation and oversight when it comes to testing. Conducting these clinical trials overseas not only saves
The pharmaceutical industry confronts several dilemmas every year. Most of these dilemmas revolve around money or whether or not to sacrifice now for a bigger payoff in the end concerning money and/or lives. Pharmaceutical companies tend to use shortcuts that create ethical problems. Drug companies have spent millions/billions of dollars in research, and they obviously want to see