1. Are the present pricing policies of the major pharmaceutical companies ethically justifiable? Explain your view.
2. Are companies in less developed countries ethically justified in producing and selling generic copies of patented drugs without obtaining the permission (and paying) the patent holders? Explain your answer.
3. With Americans paying substantially higher prices for prescription drugs than people in other countries, are US consumers unjustifiably having to subsidize the development and sales of drugs to people in other countries?
4. Is the selling of drugs abroad at lower prices than in the United States actually a case of dumping? If not, why not? If so, why do other countries force ‘dumping’ of pharmaceuticals when they try to stop ‘dumping’ of steel?
5. Is advertising by pharmaceutical companies socially desirable?
6. What policies should GlaxoSmithKline adopt with regard to?
(a) Pricing of patented products during the early years of protection and as patent protection is due to expire?
(b) Attempting to influence public policy through advertising or lobbying?