BUSINESS ETHICS IN

MEDICINE
 OUTLINE
Introduction
§1 Adantages of commercial influence
§2 Disadvantages of commercial influence
2.1. Patents – how they can be life-threatening
2.2. Medical equipment – how it can damage health
2.3. Bribery
Conclusion
Bibliography
 MEDICINE

nonprofit medicine for-profit medicine

BUSINESS
 THE USA
$2.50 trillion
(2009)
hospital care
physician and
clinical services
prescription
drugs
nursing home
and home health
dental care
other trillion
$2.39 items
(2008)

* Plunkett Research, Ltd., Health Care Trends, 2009 Available URL:

http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/HealthCare/HealthCareTrends/tabid/294/Default.aspx
 RUSSIA
190.00
180.00
170.00
160.00
150.00
%
140.00
%
130.00
%
120.00
25%
(%)
money(%)

%
110.00
%
money

100.00
%90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
yyear
ea r
*MarketingRBC.ru, The recession of commercial medical market in Russia, 2009
Available URL: http://marketing.rbc.ru/news_research/03/04/2009/562949957760036.shtml
RUSSIA

free medical
service
self-treatment
paid medical
service
no treatment

*MarketCenter.ru, The review of Russian market of paid medical services

Available URL: http://www.marketcenter.ru/content/doc-2-12672.html
MONEY H
HEALTH
 §1 Advantages of Commercial Influence

 pharmaceutical companies make great investments

into medical industry;

 commercialism motivates the development of the

industry;
 Advantages of commercial influence

 medical advertisements make people more

concerned about their health;

 working at private medical orhanizations makes

doctors more interested in the result of their actions.
§2 Disadvantages of Commercial Influence

HEALTH H
MONEY
 In order to restrict the commercial
influences on medicine, a special code of
ethics supported by law must be created.
 2.1. Patents – How They Can Be Life-
threatening

Patents:
 promote innovations
 recover the development cost of the product
 protect intellectual property
 ...Patents can kill

 PET scanning is inaccessible and prohibitive

 the cost of a PET scan machine is between $1 million and
$2.5 million
 the technology is upgraded every 3 years due to obsolescence

 CAT scan fee – $1100

 MRI scan fee – $1500
 PET scan fee – $4000
 A patient with cancer
who vitally needs CT or PET scanning
 A patient with cancer
who vitally needs CT or PET scanning

a waiting list of 20 people

a hospital can complete only 13 scans a day

? 7 people ?
The reasons why the PET scan should cost less:

 maintenance costs and personnel salaries are low

 the full cost of the machine is recovered in the first 3 months of
use
 development costs are partially covered by charity and
government subsidies

WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE?
software and medical patents make PET scanners
expensive
Pharmaceutical patents should not
last more than 7 years.
Medical equipment. How can damage
health.
CANADA RUSSIA

X-ray – 63% outdated equipment

Ultrasound - 53% 80%
 Medical equipment in hospitals
must be upgraded or substituted
according to the norms established
by government requirements.
 BRIBERY

Doctors and physicians should

stop accepting bribes from drug companies
 NASA spends on Mars
Big Pharma spends satellites and for
exploding space shuttles
in the Earth's upper
$19 BILLION a year atmosphere

>
bribing and influencing entire United States spends
physicians on disease prevention and
health education

* Mike Adams, JAMA says doctors should stop accepting bribes from drug
companies, 2009 NaturalNews.com
Available URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/019179.html
SUMAMED
£10 AZITROMICIN
£2.13
PANADOL
£1.2 PARACETAMOL
£0.53
VIAGRA
£33.33 SILDENAFIL
£12
 The doctors should be prohibited from
accepting free drug samples.
The doctors should be excluded from board of
dicrectors who have financial relations with
drug companies.
 Conclusion

The code of medical ethics and government

restrictions can assist in improving the situation,
but it is much more important to change people's
perception of business in medicine.
 Bibliography
1) MarketCenter.ru, The review of Russian market of paid medical services, 2009
Available URL: http://www.marketcenter.ru/content/doc-2-12672.html

2) Plunkett Research, Ltd., Health Care Trends, 2009

Available URL:http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/HealthCare/HealthCareTrends/tabid/294/Default.aspx

3) MarketingRBC.ru, The recession of commercial medical market in Russia, 2009

Available URL: http://marketing.rbc.ru/news_research/03/04/2009/562949957760036.shtml

4) Mike Adams, JAMA says doctors should stop accepting bribes from drug companies, 2009,
NaturalNews.com
Available URL: http://www.naturalnews.com/019179.html

5) FSM Magazine, Patents Kill, 2005, fsmsh.com

Available URL: http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/editorial_09
Thank you for your attention.
YOUR QUESTIONS ARE
WELCOME!