Question: Can an organisation be described as successful if it is not ethical? Use your case study to illustrate your answer. What can the organisation in your case study do to protect itself against unethical behaviour? The Sackler Family Business The Sackler family own the pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, which is responsible for manufacturing the highly addictive opioid OxyContin. At various stages of the companys history, family members have sat on the board. As of May 2019, 45 U.S. states and 1,500 cities were suing Purdue Pharma for misconduct in marketing and sales of a highly profitable drug. The company has been accused of making false claims about OxyContin, branding it as Hope in a bottle. They have also been accused of misleading both the public and medical professionals about the drugs effectiveness whilst downplaying the addictive nature of the drug. The companys marketing strategy has been criticised for being aggressive and manipulative. In the mid-1990s when OxyContin was launched, medical professionals were treated to all expenses paid conferences in resorts. There is a significant amount of data to support the fact that this tactic has an impact on prescribing decisions. State data was also used to target specific areas where there was a high level of pain killers being prescribed to chronic pain suffers. The number of sales representatives hired by the firm increased significantly, and the budget used to promote the drug was significantly higher than any other comparable drug. As a result, OxyContin became one of the most highly prescribed drugs on the U.S. market, and the fact that it was highly addictive meant that it continued to be prescribed. The Iowa Attorney General, Tom Miller, said that Purdue Pharma was recklessly indifferent to the impact of their actions, despite ever-mounting evidence that their deceptions were resulting in an epidemic of addiction and death.
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