Discussion Prompt:
Opioid addiction continues to be a cause for national and global concern. Each year, hundreds of thousands wind up in the black market to be sold illegally. Some government organizations, such as a congressional crime committee, believe that pharmaceutical companies cannot be morally blamed if their products are used illegally
Do pharmaceutical companies have any moral responsibility to ensure their products are not consumed illegitimately? The company created the product and supplied the pharmacies and stores with these products to sell.
Yes, pharmaceutical companies due have a moral responsibility to ensure their products are not illegitimately consumed.
How would you recognize an ethical pharmaceutical company -- what are its characteristics?
I think some characteristics that could help in determining if a pharmaceutical company is ethical is whether there were studies done on the products, if there are side ef f ects and how severe they are, and how honest and informative the company really is. According to the Kantian theory, it is always morally wrong to lie (Dimmock & Fisher, 2017). I also think a very import characteristic is how af f ordable the treatment or product is? I understand the company needs to make a prof i t, but a lot
portion of the cost?
Which organization should be held morally culpable for solving this issue?
I think if the pharmaceutical company is not able to make these decisions
for them to adhere to, and maybe even the FDA could have some type of regulations as well, since they are already responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, ef f i cacy, and security of human & veterinary drugs
References:
Dimmock, M., & Fisher, A. (2017). Ethics for A-level. Retrieved from https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/ethics-for-a-level