Merck's Mectizan distribution program for river blindness in Africa

Merck Blindness

Merck & River Blindness: A Case Study Analysis

It has become increasingly common for large-scale international firms to dedicate some of their resources to the interests of Corporate Citizenship. This usually entails the use of the companies skills, resources and personnel to effect a positive change for a determined population. In this case of our present study, the highly reputable pharmaceutical company Merck is reported to have dedicated its resources to eradicating the condition colloquially known as river-blindness in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the case study by Levine (2005), since 1987 Merck and the World Health Organization have been partners in freely distributing the drug Mectizan to impoverished African populations in the hope of eliminating 'onchocerciasis.'

Slide 2: Action Plan

Because of the inherent challenges of creating and maintaining a Western distribution team of physicians and other trained public health specialists, an Action Plan would emerge that would dispatch ordinary African citizens to distribute the medication to otherwise remote, unknown or inaccessible populations. This would be called community directed treatment (CDT) and would be highly controversial upon its initial inception. Merck was, at that juncture, the only pharmaceutical firm that was actively engaged in the free distribution of a drug that could eradicate an epidemic of the developing sphere. Justifiably, there was some fear that its participation in such a risky program could undermine the charitable nature of its distribution.

This would prompt the initiation of the Mectizan Expert Committee, intended to evaluate the dangers and benefits of such a program. Merck's role in selecting the committee would commit the company to its findings. These would ultimately endorse the gains and opportunities possible through the CDT.

Slide 4: Globalization

Globalization has a direct bearing on the available choice of preferred alternatives primarily because of the determinant role played by the World Health Organization and the World Bank is such matters as the provision of public aid. This avails more resource support and political support for the firms initiative than would have been possible in the preceding Cold War era.

Slide 5: References

Levine, J.B. (2005). Sharing Power: How Merck and the WHO have sustained a fragile balance of power in their battle against river blindness. Stanford Social Innovation Review.