Question

Latoya owns a small drugstore. She is having trouble competing against the larger pharmacies. She is always looking for ways to compete. One way of competing would be to find a way to sell prescription drugs for less than the rate sold at which they are by the larger stores. She is told one day that if she can still sell prescription drugs that have expired if she marks them “expired”. She can then sell them for less than the market rate.

Questions: What, if any, ethical principles are involved in this case?   What issues should Terry research before she undertakes this plan? Would her inquiries change if she would just sell out-of-date over-the-counter products that are clearly marked as such?

Answer 1

Selling expired drugs is a crime and can turn out to be life threatening to many people. . If she is caught selling these drugs even her small drug store will be ceased by the government. It is unethical to sell out of date products and she will be in bid trouble if she undertakes the plan. She needs to know all the needed legal requirements and once she finds out that it is illegal she might think of withdrawing from the plan.Her enquiries would be about how the products would be sold and how she could get business without getting caught. But selling the products directly over the counter might need deeper research .