Are Excessively High Drug and Procedure Costs an Ethical Problem?

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Case Study
Are excessively high drug and procedure costs an ethical problem?
Excessively high drug and procedure costs are indeed a major ethical problem. First, increasing the prices of drugs and procedures beats the logic or purpose of the entire process of developing drugs and coming up with procedures. The pharmaceutical industry exists to help develop drugs and come up with new ways of helping enhance public health. As Codron (np) indicates, making these same drugs and processes expensive undermines the purpose of the entire exercise. The pharmaceutical industry is simply sending the message that it cares more about profits than helping to develop drugs to save lives, which is their sole purpose. There ought to be a balance between looking to be profitable and helping enhance the public’s health.
Second, increasing the cost of drugs and procedures introduces the idea of inequity in healthcare. Pollack (np) shares examples of some drugs that increased their prices to ridiculous levels. Daraprim, for example, increased from $13.59 a tablet to $750, while Cycloserine increased from $500 to $10800 for 30 pills. What such increases do is limit the affordability for individuals with low to medium incomes. The implication here is that only the rich can afford these drugs.
Thirdly, increasing the price of drugs and procedures threatens public health. According to Alvaro, Challener, and Branch (np), these increases marginalize sections of the public. The researchers continue to indicate that people are forced to resort to measures that threaten their healthcare even more. Some patients decide to use alternative medications instead of the prescribed ones. Others cut their medication or decide to skip because of the costs, and some skip refilling prescriptions or crucial procedures. In doing the above, people endanger their lives. However, for many, there are usually no options left.
What are the ethical conflicts in the case below? With the company? With the CEO?
The ethical conflict for the company lies in its purpose to continue developing drugs that will help enhance the public’s healthcare. Pharmaceutical companies are a key cog in helping ensure the healthcare of a country is upheld. Their investment in research and development helps to maintain the healthcare of the public. However, the pharmaceutical industry has become quite competitive, and many are spending billions in marketing as they seek to gain competitive advantages over their competitors. Apparently, the competition is severe to the point that companies are spending more money on marketing than on research and development (Swanson). These expenses need to be recouped, and the only way that can be done is through the sale of drugs. However, this introduces an ethical conflict because the interest of the companies and that of the public end up being at odds. The companies need to make profits and remain competitive while the public needs drugs but at affordable prices.
The ethical conflict involving the CEO of Mylan lies in her commitment to the shareholders as well as ensuring Mylan’s commitment to enhancing the public’s healthcare through the development of drugs. Heather Bre...