AbbVie is a global pharmaceutical firm that makes Botox. stated on its website, “Botox” that it had temporarily suspended operations in Russia for its aesthetic products, including Botox. This was in response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. According to the company, the company doesn’t have any manufacturing plants in the area. AbbVie will continue producing and distributing life-saving medicines to Russian patients.
AbbVie stated that it is a global biopharmaceutical firm and has a responsibility for patients who depend upon our medicines. It also reiterated its commitment of providing experimental drugs to clinical trial participants. “Our priority is to protect our colleagues and ensure that patients receive the medicine they need.”
Drugmakers have to tread a fine line when they want to stop their activities in Russia and continue to supply the public with essential medications and other pharmaceutical devices. Abbott, which publicly condemned the war in Syria, announced this week that it would suspend all non-essential Russian business, including new investments, business growth, and advertising. The company stated that it will continue to offer life-sustaining medicine for cancer maintenance and organ function in Russia.
Similar stances have been taken by other pharmaceutical companies, such as Bayer, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer in Germany. They will suspend non-essential Russian operations, but they will continue to supply essential medicines and devices.
Crossing an ethical line
Michele L. Mekel is the interim director of Penn State’s bioethics program. She said that it is acceptable for businesses to suspend certain operations and continue essential activities.
She stated that Botox and other cosmetic products are not considered life-saving or related to treating or correcting illnesses. “Insulin is an example of a life-saving treatment. It’s the health treatment that’s most critical.
She stressed that withholding life-saving medical treatment from people would be an ethical violation. It is not a matter of life or death if we look at it from the perspective of someone’s right and ability to live a healthy life. It would be tragic if all the supply chains for all kinds of medications and biomedical supplies were cut.
Many Russians may not be able to afford Botox, which can run into the thousands. This is because of western sanctions that have harmed Russia’s economy.
Mekel stated that “we’re doing something which impacts folks at higher levels of society, items that the oligarch might use, and it’s certainly not saving anyone’s lives.”
