Introduction to BioIndustry Ethics (Spring 2008)

As leaders of tomorrow’s bioscience industry, KGI graduates will be at the forefront in the development of new diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices — and will be confronted with ethical issues concerning the research, development, marketing and sale of related products.  Stakeholders in the companies our students will lead — including clinical trial participants, patients, partners, employees, investors, activist groups, and the media — will be paying close attention to the ethical behavior of those companies and their leaders. Conflicts will continue to exist, between those who support freewheeling scientific exploration, and those who fear the consequences of unfettered scientific inquiry.   Undoubtedly, the debate surrounding the moral dimension of bioscience will continue, and increase. Almost certainly, it will be increasingly important for bioscience leaders to consider the ethical ramifications of their work. 

This half-semester course aims to provide high-level but practical information for first-year KGI masters degree students who, upon graduation, will join the ranks of bioscience leaders.  The course covers key ethical theories and moral principles – in general, and as applied to select problems in bioethics and business ethics. Topics covered range from business ethics (including compliance, corporate governance and risk management); research ethics (including science authorship and inventorship; preclinical (animal research) ethics; conflicts of interest); human subjects research (including ethics and clinical data presentation; the collection and use of human biological materials); ethical issues in for-profit healthcare (including industrial research choices; pharmaceutical and device marketing and sales practices); and ethics and corporate decision-making, especially regarding product affordability and accessibility.

Class 1 -- Intro to Ethics