Blog Post 10: Specific Ethical Question

Ask/address an ethical question in your field of interest.


        Field of Interest: Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry
        Ethical Issue: Is it ethical to develop drugs that carry harmful side effects?

Develop/address arguments for each side of the issue, then defend your position on the issue.
This activity must include references


         Many drugs that are currently available that harbor significant side effects. For example, a drug that has recently been receiving quite a bit of attention recently is Chantix (varenicline). Its purpose is to assist in the cessation of smoking by stimulating nicotine receptors in the brain. The FDA approved the use of Chantix in 2006 after a 6-month review process (4 months shorter than the standard 10-month review process).While it has proved to be at least somewhat effective to a large number of people, it has had a great amount of publicity dealing with it's staggering level of adverse psychological side effects. According to the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices, in the second quarter of 2008 alone Chantix was linked to nearly 1000 cases of serious injury or death, mostly stemming from suicidal behavior, a major side effect associated with Chantix.

        So who's to blame? The chemist for creating it? The pharm company for selling it? The FDA for approving it? The doctor for describing it? The patient for taking it? One could argue that those who produce the drug are ultimately the ones responsible for the damage caused by the drug. This is why pharmaceutical companies have payed billions of dollars in class action settlements. Many people have faith that the drugs they are prescribed by their doctors are safe, or that they will at least be informed of potential side effects.  However, it is often the case that doctors are somewhat misinformed about the drugs they are prescribing - maybe they are unaware of some potential side effects. It is much easier to blame the big corporation on the other side of the country than it is to blame someone you personally trust with your health.

        The fact is, when something goes wrong, someone has to get blamed. Sometimes the doctor gets blamed, but more often then not it's the pharmaceutical company. While certain business aspects of the pharmaceutical industry can often be ethically questionable, I believe that there is nothing ethically wrong with producing a dangerous drug from the standpoint of a chemist. When a chemist develops a novel drug, they clearly cannot instantly know whether the drug is completely safe or not, or whether or not it will carry potential side effects - that matter is addressed later on in the production process. It is much different than say, a nuclear chemist who develops a novel explosive that is used in nuclear weapons - they know that what they are producing is catastrophically dangerous. However, developing a drug is a bit different as the potential hazards (and benefits) are not manifest when the drug is first created. So, then, who is to blame? Tough question, as I think some of the blame can be passed around, but I certainly would not blame the chemist.




References:
FDA Speeds Smoking Cessation Drug Review (Journal of the American Medical Association)
ISMP Quarter Watch 2008

Each student will then review this beginning on Nov 2.

Evaluation Criteria:

1-4 are evaluated by assigning a strong(S), medium(M) or weak(W)

1. Described field of interest and described question posed.
2. Both sides of argument were presented.
3. Appropriate references were included
4. Defended position is described clearly

5. provide one useful comment