Reference no: EM132894214

In several paragraphs, please answer the following case study question to the best of your ability.

In answering these case study questions, students are reminded that they need to refer to some ethical theories (Bentham, Mill, Kant, Aristotle and/or Rawls) and inherent values to justify their answers. They may also refer to specific articles we have read and discussed in class.

You are the CEO for a successful publicly traded pharmaceutical company. Last year, the company grossed over 10 billion dollars, and all the executives were able to get generous bonuses. Shareholders also saw better-than-market-average returns on their investments. Overall, your company is secure and doing very well. And some of your biggest investors publicly stated how proud they are to be investing in a company that creates drugs that ease suffering, help fight off infections, and generally improve the quality of life for people all over the world.

One group of your researchers were working on an anti-parasite drug and reported to you that they discovered, rather by accident, that they had just developed a drug that could be used effectively on a parasite that causes river blindness. This parasite affects more than 85 million people in developing countries around the world, with 90% of cases in the continent of Africa. The researchers are very excited at the prospect of a treatment that would prevent the blindness the parasite causes.

The problem is that the only people who would benefit from the drug, namely the 85 million people in developing countries, would not be able to afford to pay for it themselves so you would effectively make and distribute the drug at a loss if you produced it and tried to sell it. You have tried to approach various groups to see if any of them would be willing to take on the responsibility of the cost of the medicine, but are having difficulty finding support in either the government or non-government organization (NGO) sectors. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) declined to take on the funding of the drug, although they did say they are willing to distribute the drug, which will save you some costs. You considered selling the formula to someone else, but no one seems interested buying for the same reason: there's just no money to be made here, and indeed they might lose money.

You are sitting in your office and you see the motto of the company on a sign in the hallway: "Health before Wealth." Then your administrative assistant calls you to let you know that it's time for the annual shareholder meeting where you will be discussing this matter with the shareholders.

What should you do?