Can a Doctor Have an Arrangement with a Pharmaceutical Company?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
Suppose, Dr.X is working in a private hospital. He makes a business agreement with one of the best companies in a country that exports drugs to the developed country. According to the agreement, Dr.X will write a specific drug for a specific disease that is produced by the aforementioned renowned company. The price of the drug is similar to the price of other companies, and the quality is superior or similar to other companies. As an agreement, the doctor will get a monthly salary from that company. Dr.X will write the drug in his prescription according to disease condition/according to need. Is it permissible to make such a business agreement with the company and earn money?
Answer
I pray you are well.
This arrangement is permissible, and the money earned will be halal as long as the doctor always puts the well-being of the patient first. If there is a drug from another better suited to the patient’s needs, he should not hesitate in prescribing that.
Also, as a matter of ethics, the doctor should be transparent about when it’s required. For patients who don’t care about which company produces the medicine, he doesn’t have to go to lengths to explain it.
The doctor is in a position of trust (Amana), so he must remember to remain true to that trust. Allah commanded us to do this: “O Believers, do not betray Allah and His Messenger, and don’t knowingly betray your trusts.” (Quran, 8:27)
May Allah grant us the ability to embody this lofty virtue.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital, and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
