Prescription Drug Advertising

Bill Maher once mocked the aggressive nature of the drug advertisements that direct you to tell your doctor that their drug is right for you. “Tell your doctor? Shouldn’t your doctor tell you what drugs you need. When you tell your doctor isn’t he just a dealer at that point,” said Bill Maher. The American public generally trusts their government to protect them from the hidden dangers prescription and over-the-counter drugs. However, that trust isn’t fully warranted as the FDA has been featured in the GAO report of “high risk” agencies which need drastic reforms. After all, the FDA is in charge of regulating the shameless drug advertisements that inundate the airwaves.

Her main focus was on the television (T.V.) advertising of medicine that is done in this country. She finds it highly unethical that pharmaceutical companies advertise drugs that are needed by patients. She further explained that it is also the way which marketing is conducted, “showing cheery people with fabulous hair on sunny days” (F. McClure, personal communication, October 14, 2013). The general public is naive to the possible side effects of these drugs and/or do not grasp the severity of many of them. Most people are looking at the pleasing visuals in these commercials, therefore they do not notice the side effects of the drugs, because the notices are in small print or run through so quickly they are incomprehensible. The viewers want what they see and ask their physicians for these drugs by name. In turn, doctors order the drugs; the companies grow bigger and market more drugs. It is a perpetual cycle, McClure expounds, and one that she and many of her cohorts wish would stop.

Direct-to-consumer advertisements of prescription drugs have become common aspects in today's advertising mediums such as Television and magazines. Direct-to-consumer advertising has partially been brought by the development of the pharmaceutical marketplace. These developments have contributed to the presentation of more information to patients in attempts to make the health care system better. In the current pharmaceutical marketplace, advertising has become an important aspect for survival and growth in the health care outlets. For many health care outlets, television is regarded as the most efficient way for advertising in the pharmaceutical marketplace. While there are considerations on whether prescription drugs should be advertised to the general public, it's important to note that health care consumers should make their own choices.

So to conclude, although both positives and negatives are associated with DTC prescription drug ads, the negatives outweigh the positives because of the detrimental effects they can have on the consumer. The ads misinform patients, stigmatize normal conditions, have led to the overuse of prescription drugs, and promote drugs before long-term safety information can be known. DTC prescription drug ads are endangering the viewers in our society. In the long run, banning DTC prescription drug ads, or at the very least increasing regulation, would be best for the

In regards to the price of prescription drugs, supporters note that the advertising promotes competition among the drug companies, thus driving the drug prices down. Assuming that this is true, which is disputable in itself, “some opponents also suggest that DTCPA increases health care costs because visits to the physician prompted by a drug ad can be a waste of time and money”.(nih.gov) So if the prices are driven down then that would be of benefit to some and if they are, in fact, increased that would be of impact to all consumers. This ethical analysis does not require an answer as to which point of view is true.

Commercialized on TV as the only solution to our numerous problems, Big Pharma preys on people who struggle through life. Although seemingly meant to heal, pharmaceutical drugs have destroyed countless American lives instead because gullible patients rush to their doctor demanding prescriptions. Want to lose weight? Give me a pill. Want more intense sexual encounters? I need a pill. Want to grow longer, shinier hair? Hey, I’ll just pop a pill. Although some medical conditions do require medication, not every case of discomfort should be treated with highly addictive prescription meds nor should those drugs be trafficked via commercials that target a hypochondriacal nation of couch potatoes too lazy to put forth the time and effort to prevent disease. Instead, far too many Americans simply find a quick fix at their local pharmacy. These prescriptions lead to addiction and in the end death. Therefore, if I could take away any one invention from mankind it would be the crass commercialization of pharmaceuticals.

There are proponents of DTC prescription drug ads. They argue that “the ads inform patients about diseases and possible treatments, encourage people to seek medical advice, help remove stigma associated with medical conditions, and provide needed sales revenue to fund costly research and development (R&D) of new drugs (Drug Ads ProCon.org).” On the flip side opponents argue “that DTC drug ads misinform patients, promote drugs before long-term safety-profiles can be known, medicalize and stigmatize normal conditions and bodily functions like wrinkles and low testosterone, waste valuable medical appointment time, and have led to our society’s overuse of prescription drugs (Drug Ads ProCon.org).”

Televised drug ads have helped to update patients on the positives of pharmaceuticals. The Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) drug ads inform people about medical conditions and the treatments that come with those conditions. As stated by this article, “44% of patients…said that DTC prescription drug ads helped educate them about drugs, medical conditions, and treatments” (“Should Prescription Drugs” 2). For most patients, they are unaware of what is inside of their medications and what the risks are. With prescription drug ads, they allow the uninformed patients to become informed by

The FDA claimed in its July/August 2004 issue that truthful DTC advertising encourages patients to talk more about health problems, removes the stigma surrounding certain diseases, and even reminds patients to take their medication when they see advertisements.

We in America tend to take medications for almost any problem we have, from headaches to gastrointestinal pain, to more serious chronic disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder. While many of the uses of such medications may be necessary and legitimate, many are not, and due to this fact, many people become dependent on medications, mentally, and or physically. This problem is not simply the fault of the individual; in fact, the blame can also be placed upon the medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs. How often can one turn on the television to see advertisements for Claritin, Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, or even Zoloft or Ritalin? The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by monetary

Think about how often you are watching your favorite show on television and all of a sudden you are interrupted by a commercial. The commercial begins with the following words, “Do you suffer with …” and this question follows with the following sentence, “if so, then talk to your doctor about … (the name of the medication that is being advertised)”. These prescription drug advertisements are being shown all over the United States multiple times a day. It is these advertisements that are used for publicity and marketing that are affecting Americans. The majority of Americans engage in watching television. The prescription drug advertisements do have a positive impact on Americans but, these advertisements do more harm than good.

Ads for pharmaceutical drugs are everywhere. They are in magazines, on television and radio, on billboards, and on the little bags that you get from the pharmacist. These days it is difficult to get away from all the drug advertising. All these ads are for products that require a doctor's prescription. The goal of advertising is to increase profits. By advertising so heavily for drugs that the majority of the population does not need, pharmaceutical companies attempt to create as large a consumer base as they can. In advertising directly to the consumer, the drug companies accomplish two objectives. First, they get information directly to the consumer. Second, they promote the product and

Advertising for prescription drugs has soared in recent years. In 2014, 61.6 percent of the pharmaceutical (pharma) industry’s direct-to-consumer advertising was via television ads, which resulted in related spending rising above $5.2 billion dollars (Millman 2015; Robbins, 2016). However, there is growing concern over how consumers respond to these images, and what impacts they may have on the quality of health care. More specifically, the ads are increasing not only in number, but also in the pressure that they put on consumers. As a result, patients frequently seek alternative treatments, self-diagnose problems, and push doctors to prescribe specific brand name drugs, instead

The topic brings up a lot of moral issues. One issue is Brand name drugs are better known by people because they are advertised more than generic drug. I find that American Medical Association wanting to ban commercials or advertisement for prescription medicines something interesting because it will definitely affect people opinion on what medicine they need, and want. I’m shocked that America is 1 in 2 countries that actually have prescription advertisement. You would think our leaders would look at other countries are doing and follow them, while making a good choices and

In this technology based era ridden with deregulation, advertising has become an increasingly ‘hot-topic.’ Advertising helps consumers with buying decisions, boosts economic growth, and creates numerous job opportunities. However, there is one ingredient within advertisements which is often overthrown for status and economic gain; ethics. For example, in 2009, The FDA mentions Cheerios is branded in a way which makes its cereal “sound like a drug to prevent, mitigate, and treat high cholesterol and heart disease.” (“FDA Warns Cheerios on Health Claims.” WebMD, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016) According to the FDA, Cheerios’ advertising inappropriately highlights the ‘fantastical’ benefits of its cereal. Due to this, Cheerios was forced to spend millions re-designing and re-branding its products. The absence of ethics is most rampant regarding tobacco advertisements. They offer seductive cues, subjective product descriptions, and minimal information on their products. Thus, nearly 443,000 people die prematurely each year from smoking. Tobacco products should not be advertised upon, as these advertisements explore a plethora unethical values.