River blindness case study

William C. Campbell senior researcher in parasitology. Dr. Campbell had discovered an antiparasitic compound while working on ivermectin. Campbell strongly believed that ivermectin contained the cure to a deadly disease known as River blindness or Onchocecar (Galloway, el at, 2016). It is therefore, necessary for Dr. Valegos to consider the appropriate course of action and this can be done by applying the consequentialist theory. Consequential Theory Consequential theory which is also known as consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether an action is right or wrong based on its consequences (Peterson, 2013). An example would the case of telling a lie to save a life. Based on consequentialism, one would easily say that telling that lie was right since the consequence was saving another person’s life.

At Merck, they were inspired to perceive there work as a quest to end human suffering by making cures to human diseases worldwide. Two drugs, Suramin and diethylcarbamazine could cure the disease but required constant monitoring and had adverse side effects including death. These relatively unsafe drugs were not suitable for entire communities and a safer cure which did not have such side effects was greatly needed. The drugs due to their need of close supervision were mostly not available in remote areas of the third world were the disease was commonly found. Attempts were made by the world health organization to stop the spread of the virus but would prove futile as flies in most breeding sites developed resistance to the larvacides which they sprayed.

Merck was not ready to fund the research of the cure because they would be no profits to be made from the research. It was up to Dr. Valegos to decide if he would end the suffering of so many by funding the entire research by himself. The memorandum presented to him by Dr. William Campbell greatly put his morals to the test. Valegos knew this and if he was to fund the research with his own money he would also have to sell it at a great discount or give issue it out for free. If he accepted to fund it, he would also have to pay for its distribution incurring heavy losses as a business executive. Dr. Valegos had a tendency of going out of his way to help people evident when he became an army doctor in the Second World War despite the fact that he did not want to join the military.

His stance not to join the army also shows his moral standards as he did not want to inflict pain to humans but rather he sought to treat the wounded. Dr. Valegos had been brought up during the great depression and had clearly seen the importance of a stable economy to its citizens. During the depression, many citizens of America went hungry and the government had to serve soup to its citizens in large queues. Jobs also became very scarce with many factories closing down leaving many unemployed and unable to cater for their needs. He had seen how desperate hunger made people and he knew many people who had fled from their fertile lands were going hungry. Many who had been infected would have their sight saved, a gift unlike any other.