ay — the larvae of a
River blindness, formally known as onchocerciasis, was a disease labeled by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health and socioeconomic problem of considerable magnitude in over 35 developing countries throughout the Third World. Some 85 million people in thousands of tiny settlements throughout Africa and parts of the Middle East and Latin America were thought to be at risk. The cause: a parasitic worm carried by a tiny black fly that bred along fast-moving rivers. When the flies bit humans — a single person could be bitten thousands of times a day — the larvae of a parasitic worm entered the body.
These worms once inside caused terrible itching resulting, so bad that some victims committed suicide. Eventually they invaded the eyes, often causing blindness.
The World Health Organization estimated in 1978 that some 340,000 people were blind because of onchocerciasis, and that a million more suffered from varying degrees of visual impairment. At that time, 18 million or more people were infected with the parasite. In some villages close to fly-breeding sites, nearly all residents were infected and majorities of those over age 45 were blind. In such places, it was said; children believed that severe itching, skin infections, and blindness were simply part of growing up.
In desperate efforts to escape the flies, entire villages abandoned fertile areas near rivers, and moved to poorer land. As a result, food shortages were frequent, resulting in very impoverished families.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Dr. William Campbell of Merck Research Laboratories discovered that one of the company’s medicine for animals namely Ivermectin is effective for river blindness in humans. Following the breakthrough lab work by Dr. Campbell, another Merck researcher, Dr. Mohammed Aziz, championed the clinical development of Mectizan, the human version of Ivermectin
It was a very tough decision for Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, who was in 1970s, the new head of the R&D department. THE ONLY ETHICAL DECISION THAT COULD BE MADE WAS GO FOR THE MEDICINE.
After years of research and after spending billions of dollars on the research, and manufacturing, in 1987, Dr. Vagelos, now the CEO, decided to donate Mectizan - as much as needed, for as long as needed - with the goal to help eliminate river blindness.
Answer the following questions:
1. What ethical dilemma was faced by Dr. P. Roy Vagelos?
2. THE ONLY ETHICAL DECISION THAT COULD BE MADE WAS GO FOR THE MEDICINE. Once decided, list down all the risks that Merck would face on the invention of Mectizan.
3. Donate Mectizan - as much as needed, for as long as needed - with the goal to help eliminate river blindness. This action of Merck comes in which corporate social responsibility.
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