Advertising pharmceuticals

[AnthonyJ]

One important thing I learned from working at a medical school, and from working with a GI doctor who is on the faculty there, is that medical understanding of disease processes is becoming more and more refined, which means that they understand better why different drugs affect different people differently, and so new drugs are developed to address those differences.

Exactly. It's a slow process and unfortunately some people are going to experience these unwanted side effects, but without taking this first step to address it in the first place, we would never make any kind of progress at all.

And also different patients are willing to take those risks to fight their disease.

Usually the risks are low, but the fact that they are risks at all are rather unnerving.

The flip side is, the last one I heard for anti-social disorder, or being afraid to go out, whatever it is, they listed the side effects as nose bleeds, vomiting and severe diarrhea. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the poor sod taking this stuff, making it to the party and then being struck with a bad case of the runs and having to spend the night on the bowl instead of enjoying the party.

But I was listing to Ben Bailey standup the other day and he was talking about it. He said it seems like they, the pharmaceutical industry, are inventing ailments just so they can sell us a pill. I've worked in a hospital/nursing home for ten years and 90% of the doctors I know thing fibromyalgia is, in their own words "bulls**t." But the area I work in is notorious for druggies coming in getting scripts for valium or oxycontin and then later claiming they lost their meds or their script, so that may skew the views of these doctors.

 

[Aglio Vestito]

... Erm... Coffee enemas? Really? Don't know what would make me more nervous: the coffee or the emema? ???

 

[Aglio Vestito]

Personally I don't like that system, especially for some heavy drugs: they shouldn't be commercialised like if they were candies...

 

[Addie]

And also different patients are willing to take those risks to fight their disease.

When you have been given a death sentence, and your present drugs are not working, you will gladly sign up for trials for a new drug.

 

[Aglio Vestito]

Yes in those case the more u get to know the better. This also means you do not want to depend on the doctors' decisions and you don't surrender to them. I believe self awareness is a key in that case and I indirectly had experience if it. But in the case of a anti depressive drug or a sleeping pill, you can't simply advertise the product it itself as if if was a bag of crisps.

 

[GotGarlic]

Exactly. It's a slow process and unfortunately some people are going to experience these unwanted side effects, but without taking this first step to address it in the first place, we would never make any kind of progress at all.

"Without taking this first step?" You make it sound like they just noticed some people get unwanted side effects. Four phases of clinical (in people) trials follow animal studies which follow laboratory (in vitro) research.

Usually the risks are low, but the fact that they are risks at all are rather unnerving.

I'm sorry, but the fact that you seem to think that medical treatment, especially of serious, chronic disease, should be risk-free is naive. The human body is extremely complex and, as far as medicine has come in the last century, no one claims to understand how everything works.

Did you read the article I linked to? It's for medical professionals, but that's the point. I was hoping to illustrate that however much lay people think they know, even physician-researchers who have studied and treated a set of diseases for decades admit they don't know how the disease process starts. That's no one's fault - it's just a fact of life.

 

[cave76]

What If Everything Worked Like Health Care?

Checkout - YouTube

 

[cave76]

"Pharmaceutical companies typically spend substantially more on marketing than they do on research and development."

From:

Ad-proofing tips from The Ad Guy | The Ethical Nag

 

[GotGarlic]

For the record, I oppose marketing pharmaceuticals to patients and have since it started. I have no more to say about this.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

For the record, I oppose marketing pharmaceuticals to patients and have since it started. I have no more to say about this.

I am done, too! Not really appropriate for DC.

 

[Oldvine]

The ads sell the drugs that's for sure. We have friends that brag "I'm taking that new medicine you see advertised. My doctor sure fought the insurance company to pay for it". Some times the warnings are carefully worded to make the side effects sounds like a benefit. Think of the one that warns if the "benefit" lasts longer than 4 hours, seek medical attention.
I agree with everyone, stop the ads. The cost of those commercials is tacked onto the price of the drug.