Chimerix’s Decision to Grant an Experimental Drug to a Terminal Patient

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Josh Hardy of Virginia struggled with health issues throughout his young life. After his most recent bone marrow transplant in January 2014, he was unable to recover and lay hospitalized with an adenovirus. The rare experimental medicine is not available in hospitals like St. Jude which he is in. The life-saving medication is only carried by a specialized company called Chimerix. The drug Brincidofovir has not yet been released by the Food and Drug Administration to the public yet. Chimerix previously had a “compassionate care” program that enabled those in medical need to request Brincidofovir and they were granted with the drug, however Chimerix recently strayed away from this program and sought to take time and work on the development and advancement for the drug to be made publicly available. It will not be until approximately the year 2016 that the drug will be released on the market. The issue remains that a life threatening issue like Josh’s cannot wait two more years. Chimerix’s initial and later actions are key factors in determining whether the company follows the Benedictine faith, keeping their values correctly aligned in the light of Christian values. Chimerix’s was able to display the Benedictine principles in their company when they decided to grant Josh with the experimental drug, but their initial decision corrupted the morality of the company. Chimerix’s initial and final decision contributes to the company’s reputation as viewed through ethical lenses and adherence to the Benedictine values. The ultimate goal of a company should be to fulfill a set of ethical conduct while maintaining a profit. Chimerix underwent a transition in the case of Josh concerning the values it upheld. Some core principles o... ... middle of paper ... ...ny should have the dignity to step up automatically and reach out to individuals like Josh. I believe that the Benedictine values are critical components for a company to survive in this world and also to help others to survive. I think Chimerix could have handled the situation much better then it initially did. Chimerix should not take the media’s nationwide attention to change a company’s decision; they should automatically know the right thing to do. Chimerix faced many complications in adhering to the Christian values for its company, but later on they realized they needed to make changes to coincide with the Benedictine principles. In the end, management and leaders of a company should act in accordance with the statute that all individuals are God’s people and their work is a symbol of how they value God in their pursuit to follow in the Benedictine way.

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