Two responses to Vioxx email

Below are two responses I received to my Vioxx email:

From: ________________
To: RDShatt@aol.com
Sent: 3/21/2009 9:32:11 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: RE: Vioxx case and business ethics

Dear Mr. Shattuck:

I agree with you that the treatment of corporations as individuals undermines business ethics. Most of the big drug companies have agreed to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle criminal and civil charges of fraud, and it is just a cost of doing business. Even the $1.4 billion Eli Lilly will pay for marketing Zyprexa for off-label uses is small compared with the sales income from Zyprexa. Like you, I believe the individuals within the drug companies who were responsible for unethical or illegal decisions should be held accountable, and until that happens, nothing much will change.

Thanks for writing.

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From: _____________
To: rdshatt@aol.com
Sent: 4/7/2009 12:05:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: RE: Vioxx case and business ethics

Couldn't agree more! Given the evidence that the top-end management of Merck knew about the problems with this drug, and actively tried to hide it from the regulatory agencies and thepublic, I still can't believe that none of them were charged with criminal negligence causing death!

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