GMS 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: World Health Organization, Onchocerciasis

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Global Management Studies
• Course: GMS 200
• Professor: huang

Document Summary

Another fact is that a senior scientist at merck accidentally discovered that anti parasite drug, invermectin, used to deworm animals could be effective in treating the parasite that causes river blindness in humans. The next fact is that the development and testing of a drug that could cure humans would cost. Merck a huge amount of money, and the people affected in those countries could not afford to pay for such an expensive drug. Finally that last fact vital to this case is that. Merck overall corporate philosophy is placing people before profits: the ethical issues are the following, should merck spend millions of dollars developing a drug that will save and alleviate the suffering of millions of lives in developing countries. However merck has very small potential to recover the cost on their investment and even make a profit.