"For every dollar Big Pharma spends on advertising, they make $4.20"

[Catchawave]

I didn't know only two countries in the WORLD allow direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, and call it "educating the public" ? The USA is one of them. If only they could give $1.00 of that profit towards Universal Health Care, better yet, donate their entire advertising budget! I hope you read the whole article, then convince me this doesn't smell of Corporate Greed at it's worse:


Warning: Drug Ads Can Make You Sick

A $4.2 billion annual drug industry incessantly reinforces the medicalization of complaints through direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising

By Terry J. Allen


http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3455/

<snip>


In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to allow pharmaceutical companies to hawk prescription drugs to the public, with limited oversight and minimal explanation of safety and side effects. A 2006 Government Accountability Office investigation found some of these marketing efforts “false and misleading” and faulted the FDA—which is responsible for oversight—for failing to maintain standards of accuracy and to protect the public. The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow DTC marketing.

Big Pharma says that the goal of DTC ads is to educate the public about what treatments are available. But there is no denying that the images of people caressed by soporific green moths, charmed by Latino bees and enticed by sexually fulfilled couples can create expectations and perceived needs that lead to unnecessary and expensive drug consumption. Some of the products are only minimally effective. Many can cause liver or kidney damage, high blood pressure or other adverse effects that would have to be countered with still more drugs—each with its own side effects and risky interactions.

One undeniable side effect of DTCs is increased sales and profits for drug manufacturers. “Every $1 the pharmaceutical industry spent on DTC advertising in 2000 yielded an additional $4.20 in drug sales,” the Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported. Indeed, direct-to-consumer advertising “was responsible for 12 percent of the increase in prescription drugs sales, or an additional $2.6 billion.”

Many doctors act as enablers. A majority of them reported that DTC ads caused patients to “confuse relative risks and benefits” or to believe the drugs “worked better than they do,” according to the FDA. Almost three out of four docs said patients were spurred by the ads to ask for unnecessary prescriptions and to expect a prescription for every condition. Nonetheless, despite feeling pressured and sometimes ambivalent about efficacy, safety and appropriateness, doctors turned down requests for a brand-name prescription only 2 percent of the time, the FDA found.

<snip>

[jeanruss]

1. bill clinton

Bill Clinton allowed this terrible advertising to start. He is as much an enabler as Bush and Hillary will be no different-She can't be, she's taken so much of their money.

[Catchawave]

3. *bingo*

Was hoping someone else would see the connection :hi:

[grilled onions]

2. And WE Are Expected To Push Their Wares

Go to your doctor,discuss with your doctor,tell your doctor that you want/need XYZ. It's not bad enough that we may need a drug. It's not bad enough that insurance never wants to pay for the drug.But they expect you to push your doctors into "allowing" you to take their drug AND pay for it. If you have to be a shill then they should pay YOU to push and or take the drugs! It makes many feel what they are taking is not good enough and surely opens the door to those prone for being a hypochondriac.

[Catchawave]

4. Are we turning our doctors into legalized drug dealers?

I think Big Pharma wants to control our addictions, and why they lobby so hard keeping marijuana illegal. Last time I checked, marijuana didn't cause anal leakage :D

[KaptBunnyPants]

9. That depends on where you put it.

[Catchawave]

10. LOL...

:spank:

[TheUniverse]

11. The $4.20 profit was not an accidental figure :)

[OhioChick]

5. K&R

:kick:

[Catchawave]

6. Last paragraph is good:

The old joke used to be this: A doctor who finds a patient healthy hasn’t looked hard enough. DTC advertising cuts out the middleman and allows the consumer to over-diagnose. It directly exploits the public’s fears and hopes by planting the illusion—and then preying on it—that health, youth and happiness are commodities, and anything less is a disease.

:kick:

[smokey nj]

7. K&R!!!

[Lugnut]

8. K&R n/t

[Catchawave]

12. Edwards weighs in, his position from last fall

Manchester, NH – Arriving in New Hampshire today as part of a seven-day "Stand Strong" campaign, Senator John Edwards introduced proposals to stand up to drug companies to stop misleading drug advertising.

"The excessive costs of prescription drugs are straining family budgets and contributing to runaway health care costs," said Edwards. "Since the government relaxed direct-to-consumer advertising rules in 1997, drug ads have nearly quadrupled to over $4 billion a year.

"With such aggressive and often misleading drug company marketing, it's too easy for advertising – instead of doctors or proven results – to influence families' health decisions. But the FDA has been an ineffective watchdog, reviewing only a small fraction of ads. It's time to stand up to the drug companies and their lobbyists who have rigged the system. It's time to stand strong for families, patients, and doctors."

Edwards believes that new drugs should succeed by treating patients well and cost-effectively, not through lobbying and public relations efforts. To improve the quality of care and bring down drug costs, he will:

Delay New Ads to Put Safety First: Edwards will institute a two-year delay on consumer advertising of all new drugs.
Get Control with Real Oversight of Advertising: Edwards will give the Food and Drug Administration real power to prevent misleading drug ads by requiring the agency's approval before drug companies can launch major ad campaigns and by increasing the penalties for drug companies that violate truth-in-advertising laws.
Require "Whole Truth" Disclosures: Edwards will improve drug makers' disclosures to the public, requiring companies to tell the public the whole truth about side effects and how effective drugs are against placebos and existing alternatives.
Help Doctors Make Decisions Based on Evidence, Not Ads: Edwards will establish a non-profit or public organization to research the best methods of providing care.
Edwards' proposals to stop misleading drug advertising build on his plan to provide universal health care for all Americans. Edwards was the first presidential candidate to propose a plan for quality, affordable health care for every man, woman and child in America. Under his plan, the government will make insurance affordable through new tax credits and by leading the way toward more cost-effective care. Businesses will cover their employees or help pay their premiums. New regional "Health Care Markets" will give individuals, families and businesses purchasing power and a choice of quality plans, including one public plan. Finally, once these steps have been taken, all American residents will be required to take responsibility and get insurance.

more here:http://www.johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20071028-drug-marketing/