Do you think that medical companies?

Question

Should be allowed to advertise on tv? Don't you think this results in people becoming hypochondriacs? They see what thisi new medicine cures, and all of a sudden that's what they have? The doctor's know of these new medicines and what they help, shouldn't we just leave it up to the doctor to decide what we need when we need it??

Answer 1

Yes. It really bothers me to hear that one side effect is sudden death, then later to hear that the side effects are transient and well tolerated.

Answer 2

Whether they should or shouldn't direct-to-consumer medical ads are here to stay, I'm afraid.

My experience, as a physician, with this sort of thing is that it doesn't really create much in terms of hypochondriacs; it's the INTERNET that does that. (That is not a joke, either.) It does create demand for drugs, sometimes inappropriately, but since the prescription has to come from a licensed independent medical practitioner, if it's not needed, it'll probably not get written.

The good side to it is that people are made aware of alternative treatments, and made aware of treatments for previously untreatable conditions. With the speed with which medicine is changing, now, keeping up is an appallingly difficult task, and if you don't have much contact with the representatives of the pharmaceutical firms out there (and increasingly large numbers of physicians refuse to see them these days), it can be a major challenge to know what's been recently released.

Personally, I don't care for it, but it is not without its benefits to the patient and the physician both. And its harm.

Answer 3

The advertising and printing of patient information sheets (or package inserts) as a marketing gimmick are a 2 edge sword. Patients are continually asking their practitioners what's new and for information about their conditions. Before the advent of a large amount of TV ads, sometimes magazines (ReadersDigest, Consumers Digest, etc) took it upon themselves to promote new therapies in news stories not related to the Pharm or Med Companies.
The Pharmaceutical Companies needed to protect and become a visible presence because of this. Then because of the high price of innovator products, the generic companies became a large presence, but their advertising was essentailly free, because patient advocacy groups (non-profits), the congress in their zeal to corner the process broadcasted the goodness of generics. Result generics market gets advertising at no cost. Did you ever see Teva, Par, Drug Products, Watson, etc ads on TV or in the newspapers?