Global Business Ethics. Pfizer, Inc., developed a new antibiotic called Trovan (trovafioxacinmesylate). Tests showed that inanima
ls Trovan had life-threatening side effects, including joint disease, abnormal cartilage growth, liver damage, and adegenerative bone condition. Several years later, an epidemic of bacterial meningitis swept across Nigeria. Pfizer sentthree US. physicians to test Trovan on children who were patients in Nigeria's Infectious Disease Hospital. Pfizer did notobtain the patients' consent, alert them to the risks, or tell them that Médecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders)was providing an effective conventional treatment at the same site. Eleven children died in the experiment, and otherswere left blind, deaf, paralyzed, or brain damaged. Rabi Abdullahi and other Nigerian children filed a suit in a US. federalcourt against Pfizer, alleging a violation of a customary international law norm prohibiting involuntary medicalexperimentation on humans.(a) One group should use the principles of ethical reasoning discussed in this chapter to develop three arguments thatPfizer’s conduct was a violation of ethical standards.(b) A second group should take a pro-Pfizer position and argue that the company did not violate any ethical standards (andcounter the first group).(c) A third group should come up with proposals for what Pfizer might have done differently to avert the consequences.
The action of Pfizer is no way near an ethical act and was a clear violation of the ethical standards.This is true because
As it is the company responsibility to act ethically to achieve the goals of the society by eradicating their problems and not by enhancing them hence the corporate social responsibility would not allow the company to behave inhumanly
The duty based ethics would also empower the corporation to care and respect humanity
Its is highly unethical on the part of Pfizer to conduct test on human life.if we consider the six basic guidelines to make ethical decisions then they have done it in a highly unethical manner.The six basic guidelines would never allow any company to behave i such a manner so as to risk the human life
Pfizer did not obey any of the above ethical standards and the conduct was clear violation of ethical standard.
2
Pfizer plc is not guilty of any ethical standard violation as it is a common practice for drug manufacturer to conduct tests on animals as well as human.And anyways the company conducted the tests on those human beings who will die with the epidermic which has already invaded the entire country of Nigeria.Hence in other to save/protect a large number of human being the test on the few persons is ethical as it is done to protect the society at large
So we cannot say that the company had violated any ethical standard
3
In order for Pfizer to avert the consequences of the violation then Pfizer should use the following five steps to create solution tom problem on ethical question these steps include
Inquiry : It is very crucial to make initial inquiry about the entire subject matter
Discussion: If there is a list of action generated after inquiry then discussion on every single action should be made
Decision : It is highly crucial to take any decision with the consensus of all the participating candidates
Justification : Each decision made must have a justification for the entire process
Evaluation : it is highly crucial to evaluate the entire process
Social conventional reasoning is common among adults and adolescents. This kind of reasoning is based on judging the level of morality of a action by comparing with the expectations or views of the society. an individual's obedience to rules are not based on moral reasoning but based on what the society expects.
Fernando's reasoning is conventional because he focuses on the rules of the society to control his behavior.
