Big Pharma is a term for the worlds largest publicly traded pharmaceutical companies. The six largest drug-makers by revenue (2022) are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Roche, AbbVie, Novartis and Merck & Co. Several companies enjoyed big revenues from selling COVID-19 products. Vaccine developers Moderna and BioNTech and COVID antibody drug maker Regeneron ranked 6, 7 and 9, respectively on the top profit makers, edging out several Big Pharma firms. Knowledge and innovation brings progress but also creates power. Ethical issues are very prominent in applying knowledge and innovation in health and medicine

Which ethical principle (utilitarianism, rights, justice, care) do you think is most commonly used by pharmaceutical companies? Provide evidence to support your assertion and give reasons why this theoretical approach is more likely than others to dominate the sectors business decisions.

Does the level of competition influence the choice of ethical principle?