Week 1

Week 1 Scenario:

In the fall of 2001, anthrax was used as a weapon of terror in the United States, when it was sent to numerous media and political organizations and individuals, including Tom Brokaw of NBC News, Dan Rather of CBS News, and US Senators. According to a report from the CDC, 22 people who were infected with the anthrax spores which were mailed out in two separate attacks, and of those, five persons died. (CDC) Fortunately for many of the victims, once it was established and known that anthrax was the cause of the illnesses (and deaths), Bayer was able to provide for sale to the victims and to others who feared becoming victims, a drug they had invented and patented called "Cipro." Bayer, AG, is a German based company, which has plants in various countries, the U.S. included. Bayer was founded in 1863 and is well known for its trademarked "aspirin" (1899) but not so prominently known for its trademark of heroin in 1900, marketing it for decades as a children's cough medicine. During the first and 2nd world wars, Bayer was involved in chemical warfare manufacturing and has spent a considerable amount of time and money overcoming some of the repercussions of their involvment in those wars and the atrocities which occurred during them. Despite this, they remain a well-respected name brand in many households throughout the world. (GMWatch)

Bayer had paid reparations after World War II and had its patent for aspirin stripped from it and awarded to a US Company due to its involvement with the World Wars. Bayer wasn't allowed to even use its name until 2000 and so during the anthrax crisis, kept a low profile as a deliberate means to avoid appearing "exploitive of the problem" of the anthrax scare in the U.S. Once the anthrax scare happened, however, Cipro went into high demand, and people all over North America were stockpiling the drug, making it even more scarce and driving up the cost. Because only people with prescriptions could purchase the drug...