Robert Baker and Sean Philpott published a guest editorial on the Avandia scandal in Bioethics, Oct 2010. In Why The Avandia Scandal Proves Big Pharma Needs Stronger Ethical Standards, vol.24 issue 8,  they argue that for-profit pharmaceutical companies have a moral obligation to warn patients of any data that indicates risks associated with their product. They further suggest that large financial penalties be imposed upon companies who attempt to hide or cover up any such data and that if pharmaceutical companies cannot act as if they had a conscience, they should set up bioethics committees to provide them with one.

 

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