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I am not one of these anti-Pharma people, because if it weren't for pharmaceutical companies I wouldn't be alive today.
But I take issue with Pharmaceutical companies in the US advertising their products directly to consumers. I don't see the reason for it. Patients are not able to prescribe these medications to themselves, and unlike many European countries you can't walk into a pharmacy and get most drugs at the pharmacist discretion.
Some may say that these ads make patients aware of their option, but I guess I would rather see Public Service Announcements (PSAs) rather than advertising a drug. Tell the people what the signs and symptoms of a disease are and why it's important to talk to their doctor about it, then at the end of the ad say the name of the company that sponsored the ad. Some companies do this already for some of their products, instead of actually saying the name of the drug they talk about the treatment, then say to talk to your doctor and at the end they give their website where you can find information on the pharmaceutical they are manufacturing.
But all of these advertisements raise the cost of pharmaceuticals. When drug companies advertise, it costs money, which they have to factor into the cost of testing and bringing a drug to market. But for Americans this results in higher pharmaceutical prices. And all of it is for things that we can't prescribe to ourselves anyway.
I worked for a large pharma company for over 15 years and my husband works for one right now so I have a lot to thank them for BUT I do not like the advertising they do direct to consumers, for the reason that a doctor should decide what RX's are best for you. And we all know that if you see something on TV you are more likely to ask your doctor for that drug because you think you "know" it.
A little off topic but I also hate all the lawyers advertising on TV to.
My wish for the folks that create all these Big Pharma ads would be to make them a little original. I can't tell the difference between any of them because they are all shot the same.
Bright, cheerful colors.
Actors walking or skipping outside with a goofy grin on their faces.
Same voice over guy in just about every spot.
A lot of vague reasons why should "ask your doctor" about our drug.
And a lot of side effects that scare the crap out of me at the end of the spot.
Hackneyed and lazy. I just can't take these advertisements sersiously.
My wish for the folks that create all these Big Pharma ads would be to make them a little original. I can't tell the difference between any of them because they are all shot the same.
Bright, cheerful colors.
Actors walking or skipping outside with a goofy grin on their faces.
Same voice over guy in just about every spot.
A lot of vague reasons why should "ask your doctor" about our drug.
And a lot of side effects that scare the crap out of me at the end of the spot.
Hackneyed and lazy. I just can't take these advertisements sersiously.
And you have to wonder what the heck the pill is for. They are vague. I wish they would just come right out with it. "You have a rash down there in yer privates ? Flixothyne might help. And it might not, but it's cheap, and has no reported side effects."
I just commented to my husband recently that just about most ads on TV now seem to be for some kind of drug. And I love when they start with "tell you doctor if you have. . . . ." Hello! Shouldn't your doctor ALREADY know if you have a heart condition, etc.?
And I agree with the poster who said what I always thought about the side effects. By the time they get through with the litany of problems you can have with the drug it makes me wonder why anyone would ask their doctor for it. I imagine a lot of doctors must hate those commercials because I'm sure a lot of them have patients who think they have all the answers because of these ads.
It's not like other companies. Patients can not just go to the pharmacy and pick up whatever they see on TV, they need to heckle their doctors for it. Whereas, with dog food or cleaning supplies or toiletries you can just go to the store and buy it yourself.
In many European countries, such as Spain and Malta, you can walk into the pharmacy and the pharmacist can pretty much give you any drug you ask for, at their discretion. I wish we did this here. When I was in Spain last year my grandfather ran out of medication, he didn't have a prescription for it but he knew the dose and the name. We went to the pharmacy and he paid for it, full price, which was not very much, in cash. When I was in Malta the year before my grandmother's bag was stole with her blood pressure medicines in it. She simply called the front desk at the resort we were staying in, they called a pharmacist, she told the person the name and dose of the medication and it was deliver to her room.
Responsible advertizing is fine. I worry about people who just want to try the latest "designer" drug whether they need it or not.(my mother was that way) So many drugs are approved as safe, and recalled later. I know that I will try to avoid standing in line at a pharmacy for things that I don't really need. When I am elderly, I don't want a potentially dangerous cocktail of medicines. The less I need, the better. There are people who will drink alcohol when the label on the pill bottle says clearly not to. (no disrespect to pharmacies)
Finding new drugs that are efficacious is difficult and unpredictable. (Discovery of Botox, for instance, was an accident.) Big pharma can't find enough new blockbusters to keep their bottom lines growing as fast as investors would like. Check into the fact that an ever-increasing number of drugs are being approved for secondary uses.
Companies, advertising directly to consumers, what a travesty!
guess some people think it is...
Pfizer Pays a Record Amount to Settle Federal and State Fraud Investigations Into Illegal Off-Label Marketing Practices
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Pfizer, Inc. announced today it has agreed to plead guilty to criminal conduct and to pay more than $2 billion in criminal and civil fines, penalties and damages to settle allegations made in multiple whistleblower lawsuits that the pharmaceutical giant defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs in connection with its market practices for four of its drugs. The settlement is the largest qui tam settlement in U.S. history.
Pfizer Pays a Record Amount to Settle Federal and State Fraud Investigations Into Illegal Off-Label Marketing Practices (http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-02-2009/0005087128&EDATE= - broken link)
These drug pushers are not allowed to advertise their crap in other countries.
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