PHI445 Week 3 Assignment Case Analysis, Pharmaceutical

Introduction Social Responsibility is defined as “the obligation an organization’s management team has towards the welfare and interests of the society in which it operates.” (Business Dictionary, 2018) For Merck Pharmaceutical, social responsibility is taken very seriously. Merck Pharmaceuticals are one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, having discovered many lifesaving medications. Merck’s objective is to “support policies that promote the discovery of innovative medicines and vaccines and make these products available to all who need them.” (Merck, 2018) In this case study Merck has discovered a medication that could eradicate an entire disease called River Blindness. River blindness affects millions of individuals in Africa and is caused by a parasite that is transmitted through black flies. The parasite lives in the skin of the body causing severe itching and eventually moving to the eye, causing scaring and thus, blindness. Merck discovered that a medication called Mectizan could rid the body of all parasites with one pill and keep them from infestation for a years’ time. (Annual Review, 2012) The problem, however, is that the people affected by River Blindness were “the poorest of the poor” and would not be able to afford to buy this medication. (Annual Review, 2012) This created a conflict for Merck; were they to remain faithful to their investors and market the medication even though profits were unlikely, or were they to provide the medication to those who needed it? Choosing to give the medication away would cost the shareholders money because there is still cost involved with research and production that would not be recovered through profits. Choosing to market the medication would still cost just as much, but the likelihood of the medication being bought was low. Merck founder, George Merck, said “Never forget, medicine is for the People, not for the profits.” (Merck, 2018) With this philosophy in