Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company’s Business Ethics

Subject: Case Studies
Pages: 3
Words: 841
Reading time:
4 min
Study level: Master

Pfizer is the biggest innovative drug organization on the planet. It creates, delivers, and markets a significant number of the most well-known physician-recommended drugs available. They have helped advance medical services, therapy, and fixes of sicknesses, just as ailment anticipation in people and creatures. Nevertheless, the organization was associated with a significant embarrassment in 1996, including an exploratory medication preliminary for trovafloxacin on Nigerian youngsters that broke worldwide moral rules (Crane et al., 2014). This is a decent portrayal of where an enormous good and believed association discards essential ethical principles. The moral business code in the drug business is a fundamental component for the development and achievement of the industry (Elkington,1999).

The medication, ordinarily called Trovan, was made to treat cerebrospinal meningitis. In 1996, there was an enormous flare-up of the illness in Nigeria’s Kano region (Temel, 2017). Since cerebrospinal meningitis pestilences are uncommon in the United States, the organization saw a chance to test this new medication on Nigerians. The medication preliminary was set up rapidly and under hurried conditions to exploit the episode. The organization falsely gave an endorsement letter from the Nigerian Ethics Committee to begin examining the area (Temel, 2017). The company utilized youngsters whose guardians were freezing about their contaminated kids. Pfizer regularly did not advise the guardians that they were presenting their child for a preliminary test drug that had never been tried on humans (Temel, 2017).

Individualism infers that an organization ought to do what it can to amplify the benefit. Nonetheless, while attempting to benefit the organization and government, laws should be complied with and implemented to understand moral guidelines. Along these lines, Individualism urges organizations to develop by increasing the work input (Crane & Matten, 2010). This ethical theory does not have an accentuation on client joy since making a benefit is more significant. Additionally, Individualism does not stress making a decent name for the organization because the organization ought to be more centered around bringing in cash. Since Pfizer met benefit and business needs, the case is not unethical, as indicated by Individualism. Egoism theory is the view that individuals should seek after their circumstances, and nobody has any commitment to advance any other person’s inclinations. Egoism infers that one individual has no obligations to other people, so Pfizer did not see itself as responsible before the Nigerian community or government. It did not see the need to have consent from parents or inform others about its testings.

However, Utilitarianism calls for the general good and the creation of foundations for the benefit of humankind. Pfizer did not try to improve people’s conditions or had pure intentions. It did not ensure that the preliminary medication would not create any issues. The partners of this case incorporate Pfizer laborers, specialists, and CEOs, just as the Nigerian youngsters, guardians, and government. It also incorporates the United States since the testing presented the country from a terrible perspective. The medication testing did not help Nigerians, caused various issues for the youngsters, and finished with claims (Temel, 2017).

Kantianism manages acting sensibly towards clients, esteems decency to clients, and practical activities inside the business (Painter-Morland & Ten Bos, 2011). Pfizer lied by delivering a phony letter of endorsement and was brutal to the Nigerians since it did not educate individuals regarding what was occurring. The organization was lying to the United States because the nation was clueless about what happened until long after the medication testing was done. Generally, the outrage is dishonest as far as Kantianism.

Virtue theory manages the positive picture of an organization by executing rules for mental fortitude, trustworthiness, moderation, and equity. Those characteristics are viewed as exceptionally significant in virtue theory since they shape an organization’s picture (Cannon, 2012). It likewise brings client trust, which causes increment benefit and creation. Pfizer disregarded this load of good characteristics in the outrage. The organization would not concede to the misrepresentation letter or the way that untrustworthy principles were held during the Trovan testing. Those realities are additionally considered exceptionally dishonest. The organization was eager since it did not hold back to ensure the medication was protected or that the proper moral rules were met. Specialists just thought often about testing rapidly to ensure that the medicine could be put available faster to make a benefit. At long last, the organization was significantly shameful to the Nigerians. Individuals engaged with the outrage were clueless and abused. Pfizer did not fulfill the moral guidelines of the excellence theory.

It is the ethical obligation of the drug area to deal with the strength of the clients by giving them accurate information and administrations. Companies as big as Pfizer often serve as exemplary ethical companies to other firms. Thus, it is of high importance for Pfizer to be to follow the ethical guidelines to maintain its reputation in the worldwide market. Moral concepts can be utilized to break down the case, including Individualism, Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Virtue, and Egoism speculations. Besides Individualism and Egoism, all moral concepts express that Pfizer’s activities were untrustworthy for this situation.

References

Cannon, T. (2012). Corporate responsibility. (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2010). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Crane, A., Matten, D., & Spence, L. (2014). Corporate social responsibility: Reading and cases in a global context. (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Carroll, A. B., & Buchholtz, A. K. (2003). Business and society: Ethics and stakeholder management (5th ed). Thomson/South-Western

Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with forks: A triple bottom line for the 21st century’s business. Capstone.

Painter-Morland, M., & Ten Bos, R. (2011). Business ethics and continental philosophy. Cambridge University Press.

Temel, M. K. (2017). Clinical Trials in Underdeveloped Countries and Ethical Violations: the Nigerian Case of a Phase III Antibiotic Trial. Anadolu Kliniği Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi, 212–219. Web.