Drugmakers feel heat on DTC ads Posted by Liz at 10/26/06 12:50 PM

John Kamp, the head of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication spoke at the conference,

Not only does a sizeable swath of the public remain wary of prescription-drug advertising, but a Democratic Congress would likely lead more hearings into promotional practices, and possibly more legislation. We still have alot of enemies out there...the noise about our industry is going to be very hot.

Kamp also said that in order to gain credibility, drug ads need to be more, "careful, truthful, straightforward and transparent."

The drug industry will have to do alot more than just be straightforward in a few ads to improve their image with the public. A few weeks ago, we learned that Bayer did not reveal the results of a study of their heart surgery drug Trasylol to the FDA, which showed the drug has serious side effects. Bayer is just the latest drug company that has failed come clean about side effects of their drugs.

As we saw with drugs like Vioxx and Paxil, thousands can lose their lives or be injured when the public does not have all the information it needs on side effects of medications. The drug industry should start being more truthful and straightforward about alot of things, not just their ads.

Giving consumers the truth, its an interesting concept...and one that the drug industry should pay more attention to.

comments (8)

1 Posted by Garry Van Amburg at 11/01/06 12:25 PM

Actually I think that prescription drug advertising DIRECT TO CONSUMERS should be illegal as it once was. Why? Because these ads cost billions and the pharma companies are passing these costs on in the extremely high prices they charge for their drugs in the US. Also these ads cause many people to schedule a doctor visit JUST TO ASK FOR THE DRUG BY NAME. Often the doctor decides not to prescribe it or prescribes another, cheaper and as-effective drug. And, finally many people start imagining the symptoms described in the ad and think they need the drug (when they probably don't!).

2 Posted by Rosie Yates at 11/01/06 02:09 PM

Excellent idea, Gary! I'll take it one step further. Where are all the healthy and cured drug users in America? There should be millions of them! But... I don't know one of them! When are people going to wake up to the fact that drugs keep you in a disease state for the rest of your life? At times, some drugs are useful, but the majority lead to a death spiral. Get on one drug, soon you'll be on 10, 20 or 50! Do I lie? Just ask anyone who visits a doctor. How many people go bankrupt to buy drugs that the doctor says they can't live without? Who pockets all the money? People are dying en masse to fill their pockets! Like I said, where are all the healthy drug-takers??? I personally don't watch TV because all the drug ads literally make me sick! No brainwashing for me. I want to stay healthy so I stay away from the drug lies. By the way, does anyone ever think of eating "real live food" instead of "eat what you want" and take a pill??? Wake up America! The drug companies are pulling out all the stops if they have to resort to TV ads! They are out to get us all and God help us, it's working! Bottom line-to say I want them to be banned and illegal is an understatement! If we can't get those ads off the air, TV's should come with a new warning. Caution: watching drug ads is hazardous to you health!

3 Posted by Vera Cattle at 11/01/06 02:58 PM

The drug companies should not be able to advertise on TV. They make people either think they need the drug or that they are taking the wrong drug and need to change. Money , of course is the driving force--not caring about the results. Many people could do without a lot of the pills especially the OTC pills. Taking the OTC such as cold pills and sinus pills that the Drug Co. advertises could affect the prescribed meds that are needed.
Drug Co. need to curtail their ads or the Goverment needs to curtail them.

4 Posted by Seymour Katzman at 11/01/06 03:40 PM

Drug company prescription drug ads should be banned! Evenhanded, unbiased commentaries on new drugs by a "credentialed" consumer advocate group would, however, be welcome. The present spate of cynical, demeaning drug ads is symtomatic,or consistent with, current national Republican leadership. When I see those ads, I immediately think of the miasma of Iraq, waste, corruption and the threats to health care and social security. As one might surmise, I would never look to buy one of those advertised drugs.

5 Posted by George Hosang at 11/01/06 08:41 PM

Why do we have to be bombarded with the side effects of all the advertised drugs? Surely it is the doctor's reponsibility to explore such details in discussion with the patient when tendering the prescription. The most egregious of these situations is the TV advertising for the erectile disfunction ("ED") drugs. There are probably very few males who would not be overjoyed to have an erection that lasted up to 4 hours! What an advertising ploy! It would be very interesting to have published the numbers of males rushing to their doctors for a prescription after being tantalized by such advertising.

6 Posted by John Doelman at 11/02/06 02:36 PM

Simply put, the ads should be illegal. If the feds won't do it, and they won't, the states should.

7 Posted by Jean J. at 11/02/06 10:31 PM

I got a disgusting toenail fungus ad showing up on my computer along with a survey to find out what I thought of it. After I gave my answers, the ad never appeared again.

I just heard that New Zealand is thinking about giving up the ads (it is the only other country that allows them). Big Pharma is hysterical that this might happen. Go, New Zealand!!

8 Posted by Mique Copple at 01/19/07 07:44 AM

Such companies as a these are more so interested in the retail and monetary results of such chemicals (I hesitate to say medications as the side effects are in some cases worse than the reason they are prescribed) rather than the supposed reason they produce these things.
Then when you take an action against them for what they have done wrong, they put the people they feel attacked by under gag orders (in many cases)