Question

1. You are a middle-level scientist at a pharmaceutical company involved in the study of bone cancer and you are using mice for your study. Your manager, asked you to report on your study report a percentage lower than the actual percentage of mice died during the research study when they were injected with the new drug. Your report would be used as part of the company’s application to obtain approval for the new drug from the Food and Drug Administration. You are a single mother and the sole financial supporter of your family making $60,000 annually. After you carefully study the ethical theories presented in the chapter readings, please select one theory and make determination as to how you will handle your situation based on the selected theory.  Please briefly explain.

Answer 1

Ethical standards are very critical and important to be followed by pharmaceutical company.

Any gap in the testing or the study that hasn’t been tested with hypothesis is prone to multiple issues that is directly related with health and safety of the patients. The companies suffer huge losses and attract hefty penalty thereby losing the trust of customers as well.

Being a scientist at a pharmaceutical company and having commitment at personal level, my decision would be driven by consequential theory whereby the consequences of the actions are taking into consideration when an act is determined to be ethical right or wrong.

With all good faith and honesty I will be open and committed to produce a report that is transparent and would suggest for further clinical testing and procedures before approval of drug is taken from Food and Drug Administration.

I would in fact go extra mile to ensure that such gap is not present in the system and would introduce checks and internal audit that ensures a report before getting published requires check of multiple people so that any gap in the process can be identified and corrected.