Dumping refers to the practice of exporting products that have been banned or declared hazardous in the United States (US). The dumping of US banned products in foreign markets can be appealing from both a business and humanitarian viewpoint, however governing bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the US States Department, and others are ineffective in their regulation of dumping practices.
In times of suffering it is natural for humans to want to help those in need and medicines are an essential element for relieving suffering. The World Health Organization (WHO) published a good donation practices set of guidelines, but make it very clear that they are not regulations. However they are intended to be a basis for national or institutional guidelines, to be reviewed, adapted and implemented by governments and organizations dealing with drug donations. The guidelines, established in 1996 and revised in 1999, aim to improve the quality of drug donations for international humanitarian relief efforts. (WHO guidelines for Drug Donations 1999) As helpful as a donation of appropriate drugs can be a donation of inappropriate drugs for those in need creates real problems. Inappropriate donations include drugs that are soon to…show more content… Even the so called humanitarian reasons have deep rooted financial motivations. These “charitable” efforts also help boost a company’s image through positive public relations. Donations of medicines in times of emergency relief efforts by large pharmaceutical companies are often nothing more than strategies to dispose of soon to expire, excess lots of medicine. As a donation to an emergency relief effort this “imminent loss” becomes a valuable tax deduction. For the unlucky country in crisis receiving these “donations” it means an added expense in processing labor, storage, and disposal