Gone are the days when you had an ailment and the doctor suggested a prescription drug.
Today, individuals are calling their doctors to request new drugs they have seen advertised on TV. A new study conducted by the Congressional investigators for the General Accounting Office estimates that at least 8.5 million Americans each year request or receive prescription drugs after seeing or hearing an advertisement for the product.
The worry is that pharmaceutical companies are getting greedy and advertisements may be misleading in the hopes of attracting more customers. Drug makers still report more money spent on research and development of drugs, but the rate of spending on advertising is rising much faster than that of research.
Federal regulation requires drugs advertised to have a fair account of benefits and risks, but some companies are getting in trouble for inaccurate, misleading, or hidden information. Some print and television advertisements for drugs don?t even tell what the drug is for, while others conclude with rapid voiceovers and distracting images stating their numerous side-effects such as: nausea, fatigue, vomiting, chest pains, skin irritations, etc. Many companies have received repeated regulatory letters from the Food and Drug Administration for misleading or false information.
Often these letters are received too late. Many television advertisements are run for only two months or less. By the time the advertisement is removed, millions of Americans have already requested the product.
Some point the finger at the Bush administration and the increase of time required to issue a notice. This may have affected the government?s ability to curtail false or deceptive advertisements, but a speedier process may only result in sloppiness. A better solution would be a preemptive review process. New drugs must pass multiple examinations before they are allowed on the market. Why should it be any different when they are to be advertised? It may be a bigger hassle for drug makers, but it may also maintain more honesty in their advertising.
