Merck & Co., (A)
Case analysis
In 1978, Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, head of the Merck research labs, was faced with an ethical dilemma whether to invest in research for a river blindness disease drag.
Main parties involved in this ethical dilemma are Roy Vagelos and millions of poor people infected with parasite or being at risk to be infected. Roy Vagelos has a corporate economic concern to raise the profitability of the company by means of new products (drags). However, Vagelos has a concern that the research of the river blindness drag would not be economically beneficial, as the disease mentioned above is so rare and the infected people were so poor to pay that the sales of the drug probably wouldn't give an opportunity for the company to recoup the investment in research. The head of the Merck & Co. also had an ethical concern to help poor people to survive, as the philosophy of the company was to investigate drags for people not just for money. Millions of infected (or at risk to b infected) people have a concern to have access to a drag, which would kill the parasite without bad side effects.
Case analysis
In 1978, Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, head of the Merck research labs, was faced with an ethical dilemma whether to invest in research for a river blindness disease drag.
Main parties involved in this ethical dilemma are Roy Vagelos and millions of poor people infected with parasite or being at risk to be infected. Roy Vagelos has a corporate economic concern to raise the profitability of the company by means of new products (drags). However, Vagelos has a concern that the research of the river blindness drag would not be economically beneficial, as the disease mentioned above is so rare and the infected people were so poor to pay that the sales of the drug probably wouldn't give an opportunity for the company to recoup the investment in research. The head of the Merck & Co. also had an ethical concern to help poor people to survive, as the philosophy of the company was to investigate drags for people not just for money. Millions of infected (or at risk to b infected) people have a concern to have access to a drag, which would kill the parasite without bad side effects.