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I do not know if this is in the right forum, but I have noticed a steady increase in pharmaceutical advertisements in women's magazines and on T.V. How many people, actually, knew what the "little purple pill" was?
I find these advertisements, somewhat, disturbing. In reading an advertisement in a a woman's magazine, the advertisement implies medicating a child will result in more friends and success for that child if the child is medicated.
In fine print are all the warning associated with medicating a child.
Other frequent advertisements on T.V are the "Low T" and "blue pill" drugs.
It should be as illegal as advertising booze and cigarettes.
Nothing is more offensive to me than ads for pills. Especially uppers. Is America so unhappy and miserable it needs uppers to get out of bed in the morning? Apparently so. There are even ads for upper uppers in case your regular uppers aren't doing the job.
And as I write this, there's an ad on for something for depression. Good God! Medicate everyone! That's the ticket!
I think it is a violation of ethics for doctors to be given marketing incentives, free samples, kickbacks, inappropriate recognition, lunches, dinners, trips, etc... etc... from the pharma sales reps who are constantly calling on them.
I think it is a violation of ethics for doctors to be given marketing incentives, free samples, kickbacks, inappropriate recognition, lunches, dinners, trips, etc... etc... from the pharma sales reps who are constantly calling on them.
Is it a violation of ethics to allow advertisements pharmaceutical drugs in magazines and on T.V?
I do not know if this is in the right forum, but I have noticed a steady increase in pharmaceutical advertisements in women's magazines and on T.V. How many people, actually, knew what the "little purple pill" was?
I find these advertisements, somewhat, disturbing. In reading an advertisement in a a woman's magazine, the advertisement implies medicating a child will result in more friends and success for that child if the child is medicated.
In fine print are all the warning associated with medicating a child.
Other frequent advertisements on T.V are the "Low T" and "blue pill" drugs.
Thoughts?
You ask a good question, but I don't have an answer.
Success in anything is largely through empowerment.
With respect to health care decisions, you cannot participate effectively with your doctor or other health care providers, if you are not empowered.
Like it or not, you are a consumer of health care services and products, including pharmaceutical drugs.
In order for you to be empowered, you must know what drugs are available, how they may impact your health (via side effects) and how they may benefit your health condition.
So.....how do you do that?
How do you educate health care consumers on the availability of drugs, their side-effects and their overall affect on your health condition?
Well, sadly, advertising is one way to educate and inform consumers, and it happens to be the most effective way.
In an ideal world, your health care provider would give you all of the information you need to make sound decisions, but that doesn't happen, and it hasn't been happening for decades.
True, it is much better than it was in the past, even the recent past, but it is not where it should be.
Sadly, doctors and other health care providers are often more ignorant than their patients.
I'm a great example of this problem.
I suffered terrible nightmares for years. Decades in fact. It was recently discovered that certain classes of pharmaceuticals used to treat high-blood pressure/hypertension have an interesting side-effect...
....they help suppress nightmares.
Now, my doctor, she brought this to my attention, I agreed to try it, so she wrote me a 'script' for Prazosin HCl. Started at 1 mg and bumped it to 2 mg. I didn't now anything about it, but she stays on top of things, and yes gets visits from pharmaceutical reps, but how many people and how many doctors are not aware?
I have to wonder how many of my brothers and sisters (veterans) as well as civilians who have PTSD and suffer, due largely to the fact that either they or their health care providers lack knowledge.
Perhaps the question you are really asking is, "When is a TV commercial or magazine advert not really an advertisement?"
I don't know. I'm guessing there is a really fine line there that gets blurred (a lot).
With respect to health care decisions, you cannot participate effectively with your doctor or other health care providers, if you are not empowered.
Like it or not, you are a consumer of health care services and products, including pharmaceutical drugs.
In order for you to be empowered, you must know what drugs are available, how they may impact your health (via side effects) and how they may benefit your health condition.
So.....how do you do that?
How do you educate health care consumers on the availability of drugs, their side-effects and their overall affect on your health condition?
Well, sadly, advertising is one way to educate and inform consumers, and it happens to be the most effective way.
In an ideal world, your health care provider would give you all of the information you need to make sound decisions, but that doesn't happen, and it hasn't been happening for decades.
True, it is much better than it was in the past, even the recent past, but it is not where it should be.
Sadly, doctors and other health care providers are often more ignorant than their patients.
I'm a great example of this problem.
I suffered terrible nightmares for years. Decades in fact. It was recently discovered that certain classes of pharmaceuticals used to treat high-blood pressure/hypertension have an interesting side-effect...
....they help suppress nightmares.
Now, my doctor, she brought this to my attention, I agreed to try it, so she wrote me a 'script' for Prazosin HCl. Started at 1 mg and bumped it to 2 mg. I didn't now anything about it, but she stays on top of things, and yes gets visits from pharmaceutical reps, but how many people and how many doctors are not aware?
I have to wonder how many of my brothers and sisters (veterans) as well as civilians who have PTSD and suffer, due largely to the fact that either they or their health care providers lack knowledge.
Perhaps the question you are really asking is, "When is a TV commercial or magazine advert not really an advertisement?"
I don't know. I'm guessing there is a really fine line there that gets blurred (a lot).
Opining...
Mircea
I wish there was better patient education. I can remember, TWICE, in my life patient education would have been extremely helpful. For example I was diagnosed with double pneumonia and believed it was a mind over matter situation. BULL, I ended up hospitalized with that mindset!!!
Second was for kidney stones. No advisement other than: drink lots of water. No one informed me dark colas and other foods can aggravate the situation.
The thing I don't like about the advertisements is, they offer this GLOWING review of a med and quickly, quickly talk about all the side effects. Wish there was more information about OFF label use of certain meds, too.
I think it is a violation of ethics for doctors to be given marketing incentives, free samples, kickbacks, inappropriate recognition, lunches, dinners, trips, etc... etc... from the pharma sales reps who are constantly calling on them.
Hey I resemble that remark!
Kickbacks or inappropriate recognition shouldn't be.
Marketing incentives can be ethical depending on the situation if properly presented to the patient population.
Free samples are more in the patients best interest.
Lunches and dinners, meh. Many times while they promote such and such a drug they have to be upfront about it, and there is useful discussion. Generally dinners accompany a lecture and are useful learning opportunities for the docs attending.
I think it is a violation of ethics for doctors to be given marketing incentives, free samples, kickbacks, inappropriate recognition, lunches, dinners, trips, etc... etc... from the pharma sales reps who are constantly calling on them.
How is that different from car dealers, supermarket managers, newspaper editors, travel agents, etc. getting the same kinds of perks from their suppliers?
If two drugs in the marketplace both perform satisfactorily for treating the same condition, how is it unethical for a for-profit corporation to encourage a provider to carry or endorse their product? Doesn't the drug company also have an ethical responsibility to its shareholders?
Last edited by jtur88; 10-02-2013 at 11:13 PM..
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