How you feel about the massive amount of money spent on pharmaceutical ads?

Question

In your opinion, is it money well spent or should ads be directed to physicians or others in the medical field?

Answer 1

I think medicine needs to go back to being sacred! Millions of people badger their physicians to prescribe medications that may not be good for them. Drug companies are often using the public cheaply for experimentation of new drugs. Real clinical trials are rather limited in their timing, so nobody knows what the effects will be beyond the very short term!

Answer 2

> drugs are expensive because of R&D costs.

They ARE expensive because of rand d costs. Pharma is a high risk high return business, just like hi tech and filmmaking.

All are based on risky creation of intellectual property, 90%+ of which is a total flop if it even gets to the market place, and the other < 10% has to make up for all of it.

Not only that, but especially where patents are involved, as in pharma, there is a limited amount of time to earn money form products, after that the patent is no longer valid and the drug is generic.

Additionally, pharma alone of the three I mentioned is burdened with health testing requirements. Fair I think, but still expensive, and later lawsuits cost money in settlements and lost markets.

In these types of industries, investments must be made up front with extremely high risk, and any returns are often 10, 20, 30 years away, if at all.

That kind of investment money is EXTREMELY expensive, because it could be invested elsewhere. Supply and demand and all that...

So the prices of marketable drugs have to be set to give some sort of return that the investors will agree to at the given risk level.

Otherwise, no investments, and no drugs.

Same for computer equipment and software, games, and movies

Answer 3

The drug companies are pulling out all the plugs to make money. Nowadays, patients are going into the doctors office telling the doctor what perscriptions they want, instead of letting the doctor do the prescribing after an exam. Some doctors are just as guilty as the drug companies, by complying with their patient's request for certain drugs.

Answer 4

For anyone who believes the drug business is about health care and curing diseases and not bald-faced greed and political control of the health care system, I am sorry to report that your bus left about 20 years ago. That's about when the last doctor and patient in America made a rational, non-coerced mutual decision about how to best treat a condition or illness. Ever since, both sides have been counting pennies (or having someone else count for them) instead of doing what's best.

Answer 5

Personally I think it's a waste. How often do you go in and ask for medication before you know what's wrong? How often are you, the patient, the bearer of new medications to your Dr.? It's 100% wasted money. Save the adds and our meds might be affordable.

Answer 6

I feel the advertising money is a drop in the 'bucket' compared to the money BigPharma spends on:
a) "Bribing" doctors by taking them to "seminars" in exotic touristy locations, or inviting their entire staff to lunch or dinner at a five-star restaurant for "orientations";
b) Lobbying Congress to pass legislation that favors the drug companies' bottom line instead of U.S. citizens' right to quality, affordable health care;
c) Excessive executive salaries for BigPharma CEOs and other top-echelon management types;
d) Tax advisers that find every available loophole so that BigPharma [like most big corporations in America] can exploit our massive corporate welfare programs (in the forms of tax deductions, tax incentives, bail-outs and huge government grants).

That's how I feel. -RKO- 12/19/07

Answer 7

They are paid for by the drug companies, and brand-name drug companies are usually huge on Wallstreet.

I know what you mean, though. I find it ironic for houses that are on sale to sit empty, heated, while a homeless person sleeps out in the rain, but it would take too much reasoning to create a "perfect" world. People are too busy socializing and talking to pay attention to philosophy. It's sad but true.

Answer 8

I don't care who spends how much money on those ads. My complaint is the message they send to people who are prone to take the risks of side-effects in the hopes of finding immediate cures to whatever ails them.

Answer 9

They should be prohibited. Moreover, isn't interesting that pharmaceutical companies spend billions in advertising and always complain how drugs are expensive because of R&D costs.

Answer 10

i don't like it.

i think they abuse the airtime. They DON'T merely use the time to advertise a drug that may help solve a problem... they use them to invent a disease, inform you about the fake disease...give vague symptoms, convince you that you have it...and that this new fake drug is the cure....all in one commercial.

See:
RLS

"do you ever have pains in your legs? do they ever feel tingly, or uncomfortable? have you had the sensation of pins and needles?... well then you need to spend 15 dollars per pill on our crappy drug we just invented to cure the disease we invented!"