Current Events Ethical Issues in the News - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to New York Times, the latest statistics released by the government, stated that about 9.5% of all people aged 12 and above are involved in nonmedical use of prescription drugs and illicit drugs. Whilst the use of illegal drugs decreased or even remained the same since the year 2002, research has it that the use of prescription-type drugs has increased significantly, most especially the abuse of pain killers. This essay will discuss more on how a particular painkiller, known as OxyContin, has killed people and how the owners of the company continue to deny responsibility.

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Purdue Pharma, a company owned by the Sackler family, is the actual manufacturer of a drug known as OxyContin (Griffin, 2011). It is a drug that has been evidenced to be responsible for many deaths since 1996, when it came to the market (Boozang, 2012). Following these findings, the company has since then become a target of many lawsuits, many of them involving hefty fines and warnings. Nevertheless, it faces a moral dilemma every year, a choice that has led the family to look for ways to defend itself by placing the blame on addicts and doctors who prescribe the drug.

One such dilemma is a complaint filed against the company in the year 2007. The law suit claimed that the company aggressively promoted OxyContin to practitioners who mostly prescribed opioids. This led to the company and some top executives to plead guilty to criminal charges, paying a sum of about $634.5 million in fines. It also led to the resignation of some family members, including the company's president, Richard Sackler.

Another dilemma they face is the new court filing filed recently on Tuesday the 16th this month. The filing cited that the family was aware of the drug being sold and abused on the streets, but failed to report to the authorities. The complaint also had evidence that the company had a hand in specific decisions about OxyContin marketing, which included aggressive drug promotions. When asked about the issue, the family spokesman dismissed the claims with no satisfactory answer given.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sacklers are one of the wealthiest families in the country, with most of their wealth achieved from the sale of OxyContin (Boozang, 2012). It is not yet clear how future lawsuits will be handled, but what's certain is that the government will hold on to a corporate integrity agreement signed by the Purdue Pharma board. The document promised that the company would not go against the law in future.

References

Boozang, K. M. (2012). Responsible Corporate Officer Doctrine: When is falling down on the Job a Crime.

Louis UJ Health L. & Pol'y, 6, 77.Griffin, O. H. (2011). Corporate Crime and the Regulatory State: The Case of Purdue Pharma and OxyContin (Doctoral dissertation, University of Florida).

Sacklers Directed Efforts to Mislead Public About OxyContin, New Documents Indicate. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/health/sacklers-purdue-oxycontin-opioids.html