Prescription Drug Ads on TV Suck!

Are you as sick and tired of drug ads on TV as I am? Have you had it with commercials for erectile dysfunction, overactive bladder or high cholesterol? Unfortunately, there is no relief in sight. The FDA is actually considering taking money from drug companies to speed up the approval process for drug ads to consumers.
The inside word is that the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry have cut a deal whereby the agency would get $40,000 to $50,000 for each prescription drug ad campaign. Given how many ads are aired on TV, that would amount to some big bucks for the FDA. And what will they do with the money? They will hire more staffers to review ads promptly (within 45 days of submission) so they can make it to your TV set even faster than before. Gee, thanks FDA!
A recent GAO (Government Accountability Office) report says that where we really need some speed is stopping misleading ads. The GAO is your watchdog at work. These folks make sure you get the biggest bang for your federal tax dollars and they are not happy with how the FDA is spending your money.
The FDA is supposed to shut down commercials that make exaggerated claims or do not adequately warn about side effects. The GAO report notes: “The 19 regulatory letters FDA issued in 2004 were issued an average of 8 months after the materials were first disseminated. By the time FDA issued these letters, companies had already discontinued use of more than half of the violative materials.”
No other country in the world (except tiny New Zealand) permits this kind of nonsense at all. You will not see Frenchmen smirking because of taking Viagra. Australians are not dashing to the bathroom because they have an overactive bladder. What’s next? Perhaps we will see actors simulating heart attacks or strokes and then popping a pink pill and looking cheerful and fully recovered.
The pharmaceutical manufacturers maintain that all these commercials are just a way of educating consumers about potential treatments and making them more knowledgeable. To my way of thinking, prescription drugs ads are to health education as Coke commercials are to nutrition education. They are designed to sell products! And they work. Last year drug companies spent over $4 billion on such ads and you can bet your bottom dollar that they paid off in increased sales.
Speaking of your dollars: Although drug companies may soon be paying user fees to the FDA to get their commercials on the tube faster, guess who will ultimately pay? Right! We will all end up paying because of higher prescription prices to cover the cost of the ads (and the user fees).
Direct to consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising is a terrible idea. The FDA should not be expediting these commercials but slowing them down. Drugs are not like dish detergent, light beer or even SUVs. They affect our health, even our lives. It’s time to stop this craziness and get the U.S. to join the rest of the civilized world. Let’s provide real health education and not advertising.