Drugs and Ethics Essay example

Drug companies that test experimental drugs in foreign countries are not acting ethically. Testing of experimental drugs should be done in the host country where the drugs are being manufactured. A major ethical dilemma that is

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

I personally feel that it is neither ethical nor unethical for a company to decline to sell a useful drug just because they can make more money marketing drugs that are more widely needed. It really is up to the company what drugs they want to sell however; if a drug is available that will help people and or cure disease, it should be made available and companies should sell it. From a business stand point I can understand why they would want to market only drugs that are more widely needed as it will make them more money however; by offering or selling drugs that are useful, they will eventually gain more recognition and that could lead to a competitive advantage.

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.

These companies are clearly putting the health and well-being on people to save money, them bypassing the laws to save money and avoid regulations and protocols of the United States. The low standard of medical treatment these companies are providing in addition to the slave labor wages is preposterous to say the least. Many major pharmaceuticals companies make sure to inform the public of all the free medicines they donate to developing countries. One would think that is the least they can do considering these products were probably tested on them years ago, and let us not forget the tax

Almost every medicine that can be found in an average person’s medicine cabinet has been tested on an animal at one point or another. A government funded corporation called the Food and Drug Administration, abbreviated as the FDA, is in charge of making sure that all drugs, cosmetics, biological products, and more are efficient, secure, and safe for human usage. The FDA will not allow any drug to be released or sold to the human population if it has not first been tested on animals. In fact, when a drug is first created it is tested on animals before humans are even allowed to test the drug at clinical trial centers. Whether or not animal testing should be done for scientific purposes, has been a widely argued topic for many years

Humans are animals, and as such it is morally wrong to use them to test pharmaceuticals intended for use by humans. Those who support animal experimentation believe it is a necessary evil, in part due to the false information put out by the media. The so-called benefits of animal testing have not helped humans for years, yet in many countries the law still requires researchers use animals to test their medications. In fact, although alternatives have been found, few steps have been taken to put an end to animal experimentation. Unfortunately, the way the activists present their argument that is one main reason they are not taken seriously, even though their points are valid. Animal testing is morally wrong and has not benefited humans as the media has claimed, but there are alternatives, such as new technology, if only humans would take the first step.

Martin Shkreli established a trend in pharmaceutical companies. The increase of the drug Daraprim is very controversial because the United States faces a situation of un regulated drug prices. The Pen Bioethics journal states that “Martins actions are not illegal, but many people dislike him because of his selfish actions.” (Pg.6). The actions of these companies are destroying what was once seen as medical progress. Today we see a medical decline because these companies only increase the prices of their pharmaceutical drugs. The increase is a burden to regular people; therefore, some will never even bother to go to the doctor and get diagnosed.

“Despite the use of over 115 million animals in experiments… on average only 25 new medicines are approved... Many of these are for rare diseases” (“Arguments against animal testing”). On top of the use of over 115 million animals, whenever a drug is being developed in a laboratory, first it will be tested on animals , then when satisfied with the results, the drugs move into the voluntary human testing stage, and if that fails, which usually happens, then they would start all over again until find a solution to the problem . This causes millions of animal deaths and the price of newly developed drugs would significantly inflate, that is if it ever passes safety tests and sold in

“ Over 18 million animals are used in research and experimentation in the United States” - ( Lubinski ).Many animals around the world are tested to help find cures for diseases. While doing this animals get harmed, suffer severe side effects, and in some cases death. Animals are innocent they did nothing to deserve going through these severe punishments. Animals have the same life importance as humans, many think otherwise. Many people feel that humans should go through medical research because animals live shorter lives than humans so they should be able to live their lives as long as possible including myself.. Another way to not have animals go through medical testing is by having humans that are willing to sacrifice their lives to help cure others, because animals do not have a say at all in wanting to do medical research. Animals should not be used for product or medical research.

In order to meet the FDA regulations, many companies would often expose thousands of animals such as rats, rabbits and dogs to harmful drugs. Most of these drugs are often rejected when exposed to actual human subjects. According to the FDA, “A new medicinal compound entering Phase 1 testing, often representing the culmination of upwards of a decade of preclinical screening and evaluation, is estimated to have only an 8 percent chance of reaching the market”(Critical Path Opportunities Reports - Challenges and Opportunities Report). In short, only 8 percent of drugs that are tested actually work on humans, and 92 percent fail when tested. This is simply because the species diverse too much and the results achieved from animal testing are at

Society believes that it is inhumane to do research on animals to save human lives but would not volunteer to do the testing on ourselves when testing on something is required for medical purposes. If no one is willing to volunteer to get tested for drugs that required testing, then there would not be any other way, but to test it on animals. While some believe that animal research to save human life is violating animals’ rights and inhumane, animal research has saved many lives including animal themselves and the discoveries of many treatments, prevention from certain infections, and drugs that we are using today.

Once the drug was given to humans with heart problems, the death rate increased by 30%. The FDA has concluded over one half of newly approved drugs tested on animals had more serious side effects when given to humans. An NIH clinical trial of fialuridine, a medication for Hepatitis B that was tested on animals, was terminated after it caused liver failure in seven out of ten people. Five of these people died and two required liver transplants after taking the drug. In 2003, a company by the name of Élan Pharmaceuticals had to terminate trials of an Alzheimer’s vaccine. The vaccine had cured “Alzheimer’s mice” but when given to humans, it led to brain inflammation. Another example includes Vioxx, an arthritis drug tested on animals, which was reported to have caused an estimated 140,000 heart attacks and strokes before being terminated. Not only has animal experimentation harmed human lives, but also potentially caused us to ignore real cures.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights says "Psychotropic drugs are increasingly being exposed as chemical toxins with the power to kill. Psychiatrists claim their drugs save lives, but according to their own studies, psychotropic drugs can double the risk of suicide. And long-term use has been proven to create a lifetime of physical and mental damage, a fact ignored by psychiatrists.(Citizens Commission on Human rights International 6). As it has been stated studies show that the side effects are more dangerous then the so called cure. Now the this begs the question why would medical professional give out pills of death? Through my research I have found, that the companies that make the drugs to cure most aliments, will make X billion dollars off the launch of a new drug no matter what the side effects are, however, when word gets out that the side effects are lethal the companies only have to be X million dollars in settlements. The profit made from a business deal like this is exponential. The cycle of new medication and side effect are seeming never ending. To add to the problem "Medications for everything from depression and anxiety to ADHD and insomnia are being prescribed in alarming numbers across the country, but the “cure” is often worse than the original problem."(Breggin 2008) according to "Medication Madness: The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and

Throughout history, America has been fighting against drug and alcohol abuse in teens and adults. Many ways companies and anti drug groups try to prevent drug and alcohol abuse is through education in school systems and out of school systems. They teach young students about drugs and alcohol before they risk being around them, and they teach older students about drugs while they are around in their daily lives. Are these education programs really necessary? That’s the question many people ask, and also the question I’m going to attempt to answer.