further details on how not to procure organs

The LA Times has a follow-up on the organ procurement/transplant case that Ina's Sporula mentioned a few days back. Some intrepid soul at the paper decided to request the originally referred to report via the Freedom of Information Act, and received a 76-page document from federal investigators that reads like a litany of 101 things to not do when procuring organs for transplant.

As more comes out about this case, it's likely that the transplant surgeon will be the one made an example of, the over-zealous doctor that pushed too far. It is, after all, a nightmare scenario I hear repeated as the basis for why so many people are not organ donors, even though they would want an organ transplant themselves if it were necessary. But what is so interesting, in a "if you can't be a good example you'll be a horrible warning" sort of way, is reading the summary of the full report in the LA Times and realizing how many medical personnel (nurses and doctors) were present in the room, uncomfortable with what was going on, and said nothing until days, days, later. This seems a much more systemic problem than one over-zealous surgeon, to something endemic within the culture of the hospital itself.
-Kelly Hills

Merck and Ethics

Raymond Gilmartin, CEO of Merck, spoke at Michigan. Gilmartin took the occasion to defend the timing of his company's decisions about Vioxx.

He said that although some Merck insiders urged him to inform the FDA of the findings and keep Vioxx on the market, he acted decisively, withdrawing the drug within a week.

The Merck CEO reserved his most enthusiastic comments for his corporate bioethics efforts:

After taking the reins in 1994, Gilmartin said within a year he had established the company’s first ethics office. He said Merck had established numerous ethics systems during his tenure — including a confidential phone number employees can call for advice concerning their ethical dilemmas.

Merck’s commitment to ethical behavior goes beyond complying with U.S. and international laws, he said. “As Plato put it, good people do not need laws to tell them how to behave responsibly; bad people always find a way around the laws.”

Gilmartin said Merck’s code of ethics is displayed in 25 different languages at company headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey. “Over time, ethical behavior turns into a competitive advantage,” he said.

Merck's CEO did well by Michigan business students: "The capacity audience, mostly Business School students, treated Gilmartin to a loud and spirited ovation after he concluded remarks."