Merck C.E.O. Ken Frazier on Death Row Cases and the Corporate Soul

So, so happy that Corner Office is back!! Thank you so much, NYT :)

Contrary to a comment below, the Workologist column is obviously completely different in focus from this one, and thus is hardly a substitute for it! Personally, I feel that both columns are valuable for the excellent advice they offer.

My guess is, Mr Frazier is a more decent guy than most in his position. BUT his position is still CEO of Merck, and anything he says is influenced by the expectations that he put his company in a good light. This article is just another chance to promote his company, with an added sheen of journalistic objectivity. Merck is just like any other large pharma, and large corporations, and its excessively priced biotech drugs are way more beneficial to its shareholders than they are to American society.

Fantastic interview with a tremendous individual. His claims about companies like Merck having a soul and putting people over profits are hard to accept, but this interview and its autobiographical nature are still terrific to read. Thank you.

Very pleased to see the return of "Corner Office" ... it was a must-read for me every Sunday morning ... could not understand why the column and Adam Bryant were terminated ('Workspace' is a lame replacement). Stick with the old format and location ... brief and to the point.

It is sad that Mr. Frazier's decision to take a stand was such an isolated incident. This kind of thing should be happening on a regular basis and in the context of all kinds of problems we face: climate change denial, support of polluting companies, support of trophy hunting, ivory trade, etc. The list goes on. Where are our corporate, political and civic leaders on all these issues? President Trump is trampling all over our values.

His response to the Vioxx disaster is very disingenuous. Merck knew how dangerous it was. Protecting their reputation was the last thing they were worried about. Protecting the patient was definitely not the first.

Thank you for this. It is refreshing to hear from a CEO with strong values.

he seems like a good person who has overcome much adversity, but to be a corporate CEO is dedicating your life to the pursuit of money. his goodworks ended a long time ago but at least he has some to balance his subsequent life of avarance

If what Mr. Frazier says is true, why is no major pharma company (including his) doing any R&D on new antibiotics? And why is this still happening in an industry that is making billions in profits? http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-pfizer-20180108-st...

"Being a chief executive is no longer just about running a company. It means taking political stands on everything from immigration to gun rights. It means weighing in on tariffs and taxes — all while balancing short-term profits with long-term goals, dealing with activist investors and attracting talented employees." No longer? When has this not been the case? Some of the most consequential decisions in U.S. history about immigration, taxes, tariffs, and guns were influenced - and outright made- by railroad and oil executives in the nineteenth century, automotive and airline executives in the 20th century - not to mention the shipping magnates that signed the Declaration of Independence. Assuming that these individuals have ever been apolitical is the wrong way to frame this series.

The Corner Office is a very cool concept and I hope it finds success and sticks around. This is exactly what makes the NY Times my favorite paper.

Thank you for sharing Mr. Frazier's inspiring story and wisdom. To his apt observations on the essential duties of a CEO, which are applicable to anyone with significant management responsibility, I would add the obligation to assure that the people working for him have the right tools, including necessary authority, to succeed. It would be interesting to hear Mr. Frazier give a TED talk on issues around pharmaceutical R&D. How are the roles balanced between corporations, which choose where to invest based on potential for return on that investment, and public funding, which additionally can support R&D on essential medicines for more rare diseases? On what basis are corporate pricing decisions made regarding medicines where patents provide a monopoly, yet the product may be life saving? Mr. Frazier would know many more of the critical questions.

Frazier has been at the helm of Merck when the company has been convicted of several drug patent infringements. He plays hard ball and what would you expect from a CEO who earns anywhere between $17 and $21 million a year--not counting stock dividends. Frazier seems to justify it by pretending that Merck really puts researching medicine for sick people and/or cures for the poverty stricken sick of the world as an equal priority to posting astronomical profits. Please. As the Bible says choose this day who you will serve....Its clear he serves the the rich (shareholders)at the expense of the poor. The financials bear this out and Big Pharma is a huge part of our broken health system. This seems like a press release from Merck's Public Affairs office. I was disappointed at the softball questions lobbed at Frazier and totally get that he is a poor inner city African American kid from Philly who made it to Harvard Law. That is remarkable and praiseworthy. It's a "great American success story." But now that he's arrived drop the kid gloves.

I'm sorry no one asked CEO Frazier for his thoughts about single payer for ALL drugs sold in this country. United Health, my secondary after Medicare is essential given my age; it recently announced that patients will reap the benefits of any discounts the company receives. True? Too early to tell...

Over the past 5 years, the S&P 500 has outperformed Merck by a factor of 3. Since 1980, the S&P 500 has outperformed Merck by a factor of 2. Mr. Frazier might focus on that as CEO rather than perceived ills in society if he wants to deliver value to Merck’s long suffering shareholders.

Ken Frazier, you are an inspiration for our country. You are somebody that my children, and for that matter, all children can look upto as their role model. We need more leaders like you.

First we had Citizens United vs. FEC. Now we have corporate souls. It's a slippery slope.

Ken Jaffee was Bo Cochran's trial attorney. A white Southerner, he has spent his life fighting death penalty cases. In addition to Cochran, he has exonerated two others. He is known as a leading expert in the death penalty field. Death penalty cases are the most complex criminal cases out there. Only a few of the most qualified defense attorneys are fit to handle them. Jaffee was Cochran's lawyer for 19 years. Frazier had never litigated a criminal case. As far as I can tell, he did nothing hands on. Maybe he helped generate publicity or raised money for a couple of years. But the suggestion that Frazier was Cochran's attorney is both ludicrous and unfair to Mr. Jaffee. Unwarranted self-promotion. That's what we're talking about.

It almost never ends well for corporate executives who wear their politics on their sleeves. Just ask Wally O'Dell.

So great to see the Corner Office back -- thank you!

give me a break big pharma . i was at the drug store yesterday and was told i was covered for 1 medication for only 10 pills every 365 days ..i am lucky i can make this stuff in my kitchen for much,much less the $35 a pill and it will be organic..this article should be called the coroners office

"I actually don’t see that big a conflict between meeting the needs of shareholders and meeting the needs of society." Ken Frazier's view is that R&D is the way to meet the needs of society. No, affordable healthcare is the far greater need. As a society, we need to question the ethics of a capitalism-driven healthcare system. Why? Because no one can put a price limit on human life and/or quality of life. As a result, the business of medicine will always push pricing to the highest possible amount, simply because they can. And as it stands now, enough people make tremendous amounts of money, even by the mere prospect of a blockbuster drug, to keep this system in place. What if drug companies refused to spend millions on advertising and invested in making healthcare more affordable? What if drug company's main marketing ploy was doing good for all instead of telling sentimental stories about recovery from psoriasis? I feel sad for the talented scientists who are on the cutting edge of medical breakthroughs; their interests are in saving lives, not dividends. This capitalism- driven healthcare system cannot be sustained indefinitely. I fear it will destroy our country.

When a CEO talks about soul, its either strategic or naivete. Just ask Ken which sould makes a firm price differently in different countries when customers have the same need and preferences. Its called price discrimination. Just open up drug imports from Canada and Europe, and see how this great purveyor of soul reacts!

Thank you for bringing back this excellent feature! I have read Corner Office for years and was so disappointed for it to be discontinued... It offered such an interesting view into how CEOs seek out the best talent, how they interview and what characteristics they look for in key people.

But why doesn't his company provide low cost medicine to poor people on Medicaid? It is a tragedy that people have to choose between food on the table or medicine for their health.