URL: http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/22/news/companies/merck_vioxx.cnnw/index.htm

Ethics in Marketing is abiding by a set of moral conduct, that primarily deals with the operations and regulations of marketing activities. In today’s environment, the main focus of the critical mass towards the multinational companies is on access to new patented and more expensive products.

There is no known curefor rheumatoid arthritis, but many different types of treatment can alleviate symptoms and/or modify the disease process. On a social perspective, sufferers of RA would more likely to seek any possible kinds of treatment to alleviate their pains. Recommendations of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), published in 2008, followed a trend in supporting earlier, more aggressive treatment of RA reflected  substantial alleviation of symptoms for a rising percentage of patients. This is the primary driver to the marketing ploy by Merck. Economically, a rising demand would mean that big pharmaceutical companies could raise prices on their patented drugs – since demand would be inelastic against price for patients suffering from RA. Furthermore, doctors might be incentivised to push such drugs to patients as Merck claims that such drugs are effective. In the pharma industry, there are also many kinds of drugs which are marketed over the counter. Some of these drugs may not fully indicate the repercussions of consuming them. For e.g.  Vioxx did not indicate that frequent consumption increases the risk of getting a cardiac arrest!

On a legal and public health safety perspective, I personally feel that advertisements placed by such big pharmaceutical companies should be approved by the relevant health authorities. This ensures that there is no hidden form of message being delivered and that the contents are not misrepresented. These advertisements should not instill fear in patients and locations where such advertisements are placed should be regulated.