How ethical is your virtual pharmaceutical company?

Big Pharma, the video game which gives users the opportunity to run a virtual pharmaceutical company, has been officially released by developer Twice Circled.

Gamers have the power to cure the world of disease, improve the lives of millions and ease suffering. Yet, in a twist perhaps comparable to real life pharmaceutical management, you must decide whether to make cheaper products to yield more profit.
The game’s creator, Tim Wicksteed, said cures might not necessarily be as important as the bottom line. Speaking in 2014, Mr Wicksteed explained: “Cures that pander towards the whims of western countries will normally be able to sustain higher prices while the vaccine that is urgently needed by millions of people in developing nations won’t sell for more than a few pennies each.”
Like Rome, building a successful pharmaceutical business takes time. As such, Big Pharma guides users through the whole process from purchasing a warehouse, importing reagents, processing them into drugs and laying production lines of equipment.
And developing an effective drug in the game doesn’t happen by chance. You must hire people for research and development.
A Kotaku review perfectly underscores the strategic and ethical elements of Big Pharma:

“Often the positive effect of a reagent and its negative effect overlap, so whilst developing something to cure headaches, you might also make it give the patient warts. Sometimes you can remove side effects with processing but that means more machines and more floor space (which is often in short supply). A high quality drug sells better but it has to sell proportionally better to cover the cost of the extra machinery.”

Watch Big Pharma release trailer

Author

Phill Allen

Managing Director

Phill is an innovative thinker particularly in fluid management. His expertise lies in ensuring the seamless flow of pharmaceutical liquid logistics, whether it's optimising current processes or pioneering new approaches.

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