Concerns grow over direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads

**debbystewart** · #1 10-04-2009, 08:57 PM

I have always thought that advertising drug products to the general population was a bad idea. Looks like my concern is also shared by some in the medical community.

You can't channel surf at all these days without stumbling across drug advertisements featuring happy people, sunny days, vague descriptions and a quickly mumbled list of side effects.

If you think you're seeing more of these ads than ever before, you're right.

The amount of money spent by pharmaceutical companies on direct-to-consumer advertising more than tripled between 1997 and 2005, growing from $1.3 billion to $4.2 billion since restrictions governing drug ads were relaxed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the California Public Interest Research Group, a public advocacy group nicknamed CalPIRG.

Only the United States and New Zealand allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise their medications directly to consumers, according to the FDA.

Doctors and patient advocates say the companies are getting good returns on their investment. Spending on prescription drugs has grown faster than any other type of health-care spending in the United States. "If you just look at the number of prescriptions issued since restrictions have lifted, they've definitely gone up," said Michael Russo, a health-care advocate for CalPIRG.

However, there is concern in the medical community that the drug ads could be damaging to both patients and the health-care system.

Read more at As TV Drug Ads Increase, So Do Concerns - Yahoo! News

**Violet2** · #2 10-05-2009, 01:07 PM

Oh I agree! And the ads don't even make the medications sound attractive. There's one med commercial airing now (can't remember the drug, guess it's not effective lol) that talks about side effects being things like diarrhea or liver problems. I don't remember the medication but the disorder it treated was benign, the side effects were definitely worse than the original problem. Oh yeah, that's an incentive! Take this pill and have other, worse problems!

Ugh.

My favorite side effect from a commercial is the one for that restless leg syndrome medication where the side effect is 'uncontrollable urge to gamble'. Heh. Cracks me up every time.

At least the commercials are good comedic relief.

Vn

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