Merck Ethical Case Study

This paper is written to provide facts and an argument as to why the actions of Merck were unethical when it came to their drug Vioxx. I used the social responsibility of business approach when deciding whether or not the actions of Merck were ethical. One of the most important roles of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), is protecting the health of the general public by assuring the quality and safety of pharmaceuticals. They are supposed to keep pharmaceutical companies honest, manage what marketing and ads are used and constantly regulate the drugs that make it to the market. We trust that the drug companies and FDA regulations will create medications that improve our health, not cause more harm than good as the pharmaceutical companies …show more content…
They are used for a decrease in pain, for ailments such as arthritis and other joint inflammation. Vioxx was to be the latest and greatest pain relief medication, due to the fact that it caused less gastrointestinal problems for its users than similar medications on the market. Merck asked that the drug be granted approval from the FDA in 1998, after conducting 8 studies on 5,400 subjects. After concluding the findings in a second study of 8,000 participants, the FDA approves the drug in May 1999, making it available by prescription to the U.S. …show more content…
Merck was made aware of these studies and chose to do nothing, instead they would attack the studies credibility, stating it was imperfect and could not determine accurate risk. By the way, Merck never initiated its own trial to rule out cardiovascular issues and the FDA never pushed the company to do so. There were many warning signs along the way, that had Merck heeded, would have avoided the many lawsuits, damages and loss of life that have occurred. Merck and the FDA, failed the general public the whole time this drug sat on the