Drugs & Ethics: The Fine Lines

There has always been a fine line between business and ethics. Take a client out for lunch and how much is too much? Many companies have limits on what their employees can spend on clients and how big of a gift an employee can accept. Add pharmaceutical drugs and patients' health into the mix, and you've just brewed up one fine batch of fine lines. 

GlaxoSmithKlein, a UK based pharma company, has recently been in the news (Glaxo Settles Cases With U.S. for $3 Billion - NYTimes) for settling a three billion dollar case in the United States after accusations saying "the company had paid doctors and manipulated medical research to promote the drug." I think that it's safe to say a line was crossed here and the punishment was necessary. 
I personally am thankful we have such stringent laws against drug promotion. Paying off doctors is unacceptable, as is altering medical research to make yourself look better. This case should be made an example of to sway other companies to do one thing: the right thing.

I'm thankful to work for a company the places ethics on such a high pedestal.  Maybe we don't always make as much money as we could, but we do the right thing, and in the end, the customer loyalty is the biggest payoff of all.