It seems the FDA is looking for input on how drug companies explain the side effects of their drugs in direct-to-consumer advertising.
But the pharmaceutical industry is requesting that only "reasonable consumers" need to be addressed about those side effects. Anyone that doesn't act "reasonably," well, so sorry.
Seriously?
About the only reasonable thing that can be said about direct-to-consumer advertising are three things:
- They are horribly expensive, with the US shunting over $2 billion dollars annually per pharmaceutical company to the advertising industry.
- It should also be noted that the FDA has a huge conflict of interest with the pharmaceutical industry, since it receives large sums from them to review their new drug applications.
- Note, too, that only two countries in the world permit these ads: the US and New Zealand.
-Wes
4 comments:
I'm with you on DTC advertising generally, but I'm not sure that the FDA really has a conflict of interest. It's not like drug companies have alternate agencies lined up to approve new drugs for the US market.
Ask your doctor if medical advice from a television commercial is right for YOU!
As far as I am concerned direct to consumer drug advertising is nothing more than big drug cartels pushing their product. They are nothing more than drug dealers with a license. They wrap their wares in a pretty package with reps going in to offices for the dog and pony show. I have seen it all in 25 years in the medical field and finally they are making both big pharma and the docs track their "gifts" and trips and all the bundled packages they used to get for filling X amount of scripts.Remember how great Vioxx was touted to be? Non-addicting great for pain-Oh yes they lied about the health effects and knew years before patients started developing heart problems and dying from AMI. At least street drug dealers won't BS you-you take your chances but for these snakes to sell meds that they know are detrimental or can cause death, but profit comes first. American Greed- just ask the Vioxx patients if there are any still left. Great site Dr. Wes. Can you tell how I really feel about big pharma? Paul Parks "AKA" The Legal RN:http://legalrn.blogspot.com
Friends (aged 50+) are now dying from liver disease associated with all the drugs "pushed" over the last 30+ years. And as a country we keep "pushing" drug cures for about anything. Yet medical science often can not tell what the drugs are doing to the liver until the liver is mostly destroyed. A great secret no one talks about, certainly no ads mention it. But we can transplant the failed livers, so who cares? Health care costs, who really cares?
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