"My family and I have been watching post-season baseball, and I think I have to lie down. We've seen so many ads for drugs prescribed to treat plaque psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis that I'm sure I've developed a rash, nausea, joint pain and dizziness. Just by watching. iSpot, the TV ad news site, says drug companies bought 895.8 million dollars worth of ads in sports programming last year."
"The FDA now permits pharmaceutical ads, as long as what regulators call "dual-modality risk statements" possible side effects are clearly stated. And so you see commercials that show winsome old friends dancing, biking, and shooting down forested ziplines, despite the shadow of psoriasis, insomnia, anxiety or eczema. Then the same soothing voice that advises you to see a doctor for a prescription cautions the medication might also lead you to develop symptoms of myelosuppression, psoriatic arthritis and abdominal swelling."
Post-season baseball broadcasts run a large volume of prescription drug advertisements targeting common chronic conditions. Pharmaceutical companies spent roughly $895.8 million on sports programming ads last year. Advertisements pair upbeat imagery of active, older adults with rapid recitations of serious side effects. The FDA allows direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising when regulators' "dual-modality risk statements" are presented. Ads name conditions and list risks such as myelosuppression, psoriatic arthritis, abdominal swelling, dermatitis, dehydration, and wheezing while urging viewers to consult a doctor. Medical observers warn that such advertising functions as persuasion and can influence patient and physician behavior.
Read at www.npr.org
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