The downside of advertising prescription drugs on commercial television.
If a person were to stop and think about it, how many times in his would he have been tempted to use drugs? Chances are he has at least thought about it once or twice even if he has never acted on the impulse. Not the illegal kind of narcotics or recreational drug, something more common these days, a prescription drug, something being peddled directly to the public every day. Turn on a television set at any given time of day, and the general consumer will be exposed to commercials advertising multitudes of prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are increasing the amount of money spent on, and number of, advertising ads for prescription drugs on television in an effort to market drugs that most consumers may not even need.
Traditionally, the most common way to market a new drug was the use of drug representatives. These representatives would make rounds to the doctors themselves and present the benefits of the drug their particular company was promoting. Who has not seen the neat little ink pens, coffee mugs, brochures and other paraphernalia littering their doctor's office when they go in for a visit? This has always been a biased way to make sure that doctors prescribed one drug over another depending on free perks, and other asinine doctors' criteria. Apparently, drug representatives are not spreading the news quickly enough. The companies have decided to skip the middle man and go straight to the consumer through television commercials.
This is where the companies start using every tool in their arsenal to ensure that consumers will purchase the drug because they want it, not need it. This direct to consumer marketing is big business. Advertising spending has jumped from what it was approximately 10 years ago. In 1996, drug companies spent around 12 million, as opposed to the estimated 4.2 billion that will be spent by the end of this year (Adegoke, 2006). As the money increases, so does the number of drugs. There are now more than 50 drugs marketed directly to consumers, compared to just one less than 10 years ago (Belkin, 2001).
When do these commercials air? Depends on what they are designed to market. The commercials are targeted toward the specific audience they need to for each medicine. For instance, sleep aids will be shown more often during prime time while most people who have trouble sleeping are flipping channels. There will be more ads for cholesterol and heart medications like Lipitor, Plavix, Coreg, and others during the early morning, and so on. On average there will be probably up to three commercials for prescription drugs during prime time between 8 and 11 at night. However, some companies, such as Pfizer, say they are trying to use self-imposed guidelines on how they target audiences for drugs such as impotence aids and are marketing to shows with 90% or more adult based audiences (Johnson, 2007).
The drug companies are using well known public figures, actors, and celebrity endorsers to establish a sense of trust with the public. Advertisers have found a potential goldmine with endorsers such as Mandy Patinkin, Sally Fields and others to market to those who have idolized these stars for years and associate them with honest individuals. These endorsers just never seem to mention the fact they are paid spokespeople (Neff, 2002).
Every one of these commercials has the same scenario, which seems to be a slice of a person's life before taking the treatment and after taking the treatment. Usually, the person is seen struggling with his condition, maybe in black and white, in pain, everything going wrong in their life and even the picture is sideways. Then the person discovers this magic drug, everyone is happy, life is in color again, the picture is right side up, everyone is on the beach, riding bikes, the sun is shining, the friends are laughing and talking, the wine is flowing, etc. What magic drug can make everyone's life perfect like that?
Most of the time the important details are left out of the commercials, or they are tucked in as a sideline that no one notices. Some drugs may cause reactions, or mix badly with other medications that patients are already taking. Some drugs are marketed before clinical trials are published, leaving the doctors themselves without full knowledge of the drug, possible allergic reactions, or drug interactions (Belkin, 2001). This can often be not only be inconvenient to the patient, but sometimes deadly. Is this a risk work taking for something like dry eyes, restless legs, or a few hours or pleasure in bed?
Fortunately, there are some concerned people who see this trend in questionable advertising, and want to help regulate it. Some guidelines are being drawn up and offered on the commercial advertising of prescription drugs. There is even legislation being worked up that would keep this kind of unscrupulous promotion off the air until the FDA has had a chance to review it for 30 days prior (Johnson, 2007).
In their defense, in seeking to market new drugs, the drug companies are advertising drugs for conditions that consumers never before knew of, or knew could be treated at all. “According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 5 million diabetics in this country are unaware that they have the disease” (Belkin, 2001. p2). These commercials can be an opportunity for education, even if only indirectly. According to Belkin (2001), for every million men asking for Viagra, 200, 000 have some sort of undiagnosed and untreated condition.
So in effect, a person would think that the commercials would be accomplishing the stated purpose of educating consumers and promoting communication between the patient and doctor, correct? Not exactly, as the ads also have the effect of helping the patient is able to tailor the symptoms to his doctor to be able to get the medicine he wants. The result in the end is the one truly desired by the pharmaceutical company…a sales increase. Yes, it is all about the money, it always is.
What does all this controversy mean? How does a consumer choose prescriptions? The same way they choose a breakfast cereal, by which of their favorite actors are promoting them on television? Or do they do it the safe way, have a conversation with their doctor? A person should discuss with a doctor his symptoms, medications and allergies. Or a consumer can just use the shop at home method.
