Pfizer 's Drug Testing Strategy

In recent years, it has become an increasingly popular practice for drug companies to perform their clinical testing of new drugs in foreign countries that might not have the consumer protections or product liability laws present in the United States. Please answer each of the following questions using a theory studied in Module 2 specifically and thoroughly and using examples and facts from the readings and resources.

There are multiple health concerns worldwide and more and more drugs are needed every day. Many drugs however, are extremely expensive to develop, test, and produce. According to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (2002), it costs up to $802 million to bring a new drug to the market. In 2002, pharmaceutical companies spent $34 billion in research and development (Center-Watch, 2003). In addition to the costs, the overall time from the discovery to approve and market the drug can take up to 15 years.

New Jersey statute N.J.A.C. 6A:16-4.4 raises a host of legal and financial issues for school district administrators. According to the law, when it comes to random testing of student alcohol and other drug use, districts that decide to do random drug tests must follow certain protocols to ensure students’ 4th Amendment rights are not violated.

Summary: In terms of total sales, Pfizer is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company that creates products that serve approximately 150 million people worldwide and sales of approximately $50 billion in 2009. Formed in 1849 as a chemicals business, it has realigned itself to become the world’s leading research based pharmaceutical company and has produced drugs such as penicillin, Lipitor, Viagra, Detrol, and Geodon and thousands of others throughout its history. Focused now on expanding its international offerings, it looks to China, India, and Russia as high potential markets. In addition to human pharmaceuticals, Pfizer has diversified into the animal pharmaceutical market that has augmented sales and profitability to

Mandatorily drug testing a controversial issue right now. Mandatorily drug testing welfare recipients is wrong for many reasons. Not only is it unconstitutional but it also very costly. It adds to the debt that the USA already has. Drug testing the recipients is unnecessary and not needed.

1. Cost: The drug development is a lengthy and an expensive process. It will aid in the predevelopment process to identify future demand and to identify if it is a worthwhile venture. The future of a company could depend on the success or failure of a new drug in the market.

Eric, I found your point about standardizing drug screening for pregnant mothers interesting. In my opinion testing for drugs could be a beneficial preventative strategy. Testing for alcohol use early on can prevent damage to the fetus. Also, testing will allow mothers the opportunity to receive help. The only negative outcomes of standardizing drug screenings are the cost and doctor- patient relationship. Drug screening expecting mothers can be expensive, but the cost to care for a infit addicted to drugs is more. Drug screenings can also effect doctor- patient relationships. If drug screening were standardizing the relationship would change to doctor- patient- police relationship.

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.

A drug development time may take on average over 15 years and expenditure R & D total costs of about $880 million. The length for and FDA application is at least 100,000 pages, which details the potential drug’s usage, production, formula and labeling.

Pfizer’s ethical responsibility is to control the distribution of their cold and allergy medications, as meth cannot be made without the ingredients found in these types of medicines. Controlling the purchase of these over the counter medications may decrease the number of small toxic labs and the manufacturing of meth in the State of Arkansas.

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.

In order to keep organization ethical as it relates to drug testing, the U.S. Supreme Court has approved four methods for drug testing. The organization can request a blood, breath, hair, or urine tests. These tests will not harm the job candidate or employee. The company will send the job candidate or employee to an off-site medical

In 1996, Pfizer tested a new antibiotic called Trovan. Trovan was an antibiotic intended to treat meningococcal meningitis. Pfizer tested it 's new antibiotic on 100 children in Kano, Nigeria, while another 100 children (the control group) were treated with fully vetted antibiotics such as cephalosporin. Trovan had never been tested on children before, and the United States refused to license Trovan due to side effects such as joint pain and liver damage. As a result, five children died. One such child, a three year-old known only as “Patient #69,” became so alarmingly sick, that her father begged the doctors to help her. She continued to be given Trovan, rather than the tried and tested cephalosporin. She died. Many consent forms were found to be falsified, and some families were not informed that they were taking part in a drug trial, a clear violation of the Nuremberg Code and The Declaration of Helsinki. Alarmingly, when the American drug company Pfizer was bought before a New York judge to answer for their ethical and moral violations, the judge decided that the case should be heard in a Nigerian court (Woods & Simkin). Nigeria happens to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and its government has little to no international transparency or accountability (Transparency International), and it 's criminal justice system is “blighted by corruption and generally distrusted” (“Amnesty International” 285). There are many more instances of drug companies taking

Humans have fundamental rights. Pharmaceutical companies can severely impede on the basic rights of others. At the same time, companies have to weigh whether or not impeding on the rights of others is worth saving millions of lives. Pharmaceutical companies should never test on unwilling individuals, but there is a gray area between what is ethical and what is unethical when it comes to sacrificing to save millions.

In summary of the Pfizer case study, the organization realized executives and key employees were spending 20-40% of their time on support work rather than knowledge work. In response, the company started a “magic button” process. When an employee would like to pass off the tasks that are monotonous or lack luster they can press the “magic button”. The tasks are assigned to individuals of an outside organization for completion. The result is an increase of employee productivity.