Abstract
Consuming pharmaceuticals is arguably the most common way we attempt to modify our physiology for better health. From over‐the‐counter vitamins to the $3.5 million per dose hemophilia treatment Hemgenix, pharmaceuticals are an indispensable part of healthcare and a significant segment of the global economy. Ethical issues with regard to pharmaceuticals are diverse. Some of them are variations of well‐known problems in other domains. For example, pharmaceutical developers’ obligation to provide expensive drugs to poorer nations is a reiteration of corporate social responsibility and distributive justice. Nonetheless, given the impact pharmaceuticals have on our physiology and thus our very being, pharmacist ethics concerns normative challenges that touch on deep questions about autonomy, limits of modifications, the nature of health and illness, and what exactly constitutes a treatment.