Are pharmaceutical companies morally responsible for the deaths of individuals in third world countries?

Question

pharmaceutical companies price their drugs so high in third world countries that citizens that live their cant afford them, and die, so are pharmaceutical companies morally responsible?

Answer 1

absolutely, if their execs would take a pay cut and not drive a ferrari, they could use that money to provide medication to people who need it. and then when someone makes a big enough fuss about it they cut jobs instead of their own salaries.

Answer 2

Absolutely!

Answer 3

Not at all. The governments in those countries are responsible. One of the reasons that the prices are so high is because of intellectual property rights. If those countries gave them the IP rights the prices of drugs would automatically drop.

Also its your fault for not donating the hard earned money you have to build a medical infrastructure in these third world countries. You know roads, clinics, hospitals.

Also how about the corruption, where even the donations from the pharmaceutical companies gets stolen by corrupt governments, or guerillas.

Also, WHO estimates that 35% of the disease in third world countries can be eliminated by simply having clean water. But I don't hear any condemnation of utility companies for not building water treatment plants.

Also, of the 300 drugs on WHOs essential medication list, only a handful are still exclusively produced by big pharmaceutical companies. The rest can be generically produced for relatively low prices, but you need the infrastructure. When you build an infrastructure, and get an uncorrupt government, then you can talk about moral responsibility.

Also pharmaceutical companies are not charities, they are businesses with bottom lines. They donate plenty, and help out plenty that gives them almost no benefit.

I understand being mad about the high price of drugs, its actually a relief to see someone concerned about something other than Britney or Lindsay, but you have to ask why the prices are high before you just condemn the ones that set the prices.

Answer 4

Perhaps the same could be said about other businesses which provide the necessities of life, like food.

In a sense, we are all responsible for each other in this world, but we do not act that way.

Answer 5

No.

1) There cost of business is horrendous

2) They usually sell drugs to these countries very cheap once they have recovered their initial investment (which is fair).

3) Corruption in these countries is usually the root problem, not the honest merchants.

4) BTW, instead of complaining about the "big Pharma", ask yourself how much you've spent of your _own_ money lately to make sure these people have drugs. If you've spent less than 5% of your income, maybe you should consider that _you_ are the guilty one!