Tell the FDA what you think about drug ads

[Birdbomb]

Tell the FDA what you think about drug ads

Fed up with TV ads that sell you the “good news” about prescription drugs but gloss over the shortcomings? Do these drugs actually work? And how common are those side effects?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon decide whether these TV ads should include a toll-free number and web address where you can report side effects or other problems. The drug companies don't like this idea. They don’t want their ads used to help identify potential problems with their products.

But if we have to watch these endless ads, we should at least be able to easily report to the FDA how these medicines really work! Add your name to the FDA petition.


CLICK HERE

[RobinN]

According to a recent article in "The New England Journal of Medicine," pharmaceutical advertising and promotion grew from $11.4 billion in 1996 to $29.9 billion in 2005 -- and direct- to-consumer ads grew by 330 percent! (1)

I can assure you that NO ONE is spending $30 billion promoting the benefits of food and nutrients to support health and cure disease, even if they are more effective.

You don't hear about the best or most effective treatments, just the ones that are most heavily promoted.

http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/th...-power-of-food

[alivenwell]

It sounds like the drug companies should contribute to education towards well being of their consumers.

Maybe we should buy stock in them and get some of our fair share so we can pay for our medications.

Or, better yet, have the companies turn their profits into a lottery pool so we can win a lifetime supply of any future prescriptions. That would force THEM to pay for our drugs. Quality control of all drugs, generic or not, would have to meet strict standards.

I don't watch much on TV. It's usually tacky, worthless stuff. When I walk my dog, practically every house we walk by has the 'blue glow' of some TV blinking and flashing propaganda. I really get annoyed at the 'funny' shows where they have canned laughter. It's insulting to be told when you need to laugh at something. I'd rather listen to the FM stereo or do something like the web where I can choose my interests rather than have the media throw them at me.

[Cint]

I've added my name to the petition.

There is a new book out, entitled "Our Daily Meds" by Melody Petersen. In it, she tels the truth about what goes on in the pharmaceutical world and how some doctors work with the pharmaceuticals to seel their drugs. What was so disturbing to me is a chapter entitled "Neurontin for Everything". It talks about how Warner-Lambert decided to market the drug to their benefit right before the patent expired on Neurontin. The drs. prescribed it for kids with ADD to the extreme of adults with sexual dysfunction, manic depressive disorders or even hiccups! The book also mentions that some of the doctors chosen to write articles for Neurontin or speak at dinners sponsored by the pharmaceutical were paid BIG $$$. Some of the doctors mentioned are doctors we've all heard of in the epilepsy world. I will list the doctors listed in the book: Dr. Cynthia Harden from New York, Dr. Ilo Leppick -Univ. of Minnesota, Dr. B.J. Wilder -Univ. of Florida, and Dr. Steven Schacter -Harvard. All promoting Neurontin on behalf of the pharmaceuticals and getting paid for it and here we are as patients paying out our rear ends to take the meds that could harm us. Sometimes the placebos are more effective than the drugs. Sorry I just had to vent!!
Cindy

[Bernard]

I remember when the Neurontin story was in the news two years ago:

Doctors not immune to sales pitches

[Bernard]

... I will list the doctors listed in the book: Dr. Cynthia Harden from New York, Dr. Ilo Leppick -Univ. of Minnesota, Dr. B.J. Wilder -Univ. of Florida, and Dr. Steven Schacter -Harvard. All promoting Neurontin on behalf of the pharmaceuticals and getting paid for it and here we are as patients paying out our rear ends to take the meds that could harm us.

I totally missed that upon first reading!

That puts a whole new perspective on his work promoting the VNS at epilepsy.com (see my comment - the one with the chart in it - for context).

[hawke86]

What do you think about them Bernard? How about everyone else.

[RobinN]

I never liked the ads Hawke, nor do I like the embarrassing ads that show up just at the wrong time.

[hawke86]

I agree with you Robin. I never did like them either. I have seen some ads that makes us look stupid. I don't know if you seen any.

[RobinN]

Most ads I just shake my head at. Silly waste of money. I don't always know what the advertisers were thinking when they said okay to the Producers.

The other thing... don't know if this pertains to the drug ads, but many have REALLY annoying songs. Sometimes I want to call up the company and say, just because of your ad, I will never even step foot into your place of business..... I think it but never would do it (call that is)

[Bernard]

I personally don't care if the drug companies advertise or not. I haven't seen a single TV ad for a drug that made me think "Hmm... that sounds good!" though.

'Saturday Night Live’ Takes On Drug Ads

After more than four decades of testing in tandem with other drugs, placebo gained approval for prescription use from the Food and Drug Administration Monday.

"For years, scientists have been aware of the effectiveness of placebo in treating a surprisingly wide range of conditions," said Dr. Jonathan Bergen of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "It was time to provide doctors with this often highly effective option."

In its most common form, placebo is a white, crystalline substance of a sandy consistency, obtained from the evaporated juice of the Saccharum officinarum plant. The FDA has approved placebo in doses ranging from 1 to 40,000 milligrams.

The long-awaited approval will allow pharmaceutical companies to market placebo in pill and liquid form. Eleven major drug companies have developed placebo tablets, the first of which, AstraZeneca's Sucrosa, hits shelves Sept. 24.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to finally get this wonder drug out of the labs and into consumers' medicine cabinets," said Tami Erickson, a spokeswoman for AstraZeneca. "Studies show placebo to be effective in the treatment of many ailments and disorders, ranging from lower-back pain to erectile dysfunction to nausea."

Pain-sufferers like Margerite Kohler, who participated in a Sucrosa study in March, welcomed the FDA's approval.

"For years, I battled with strange headaches that surfaced during times of stress," Kohler said. "Doctors repeatedly turned me away empty-handed, or suggested that I try an over-the-counter pain reliever—as if that would be strong enough. Finally, I heard about Sucrosa. They said, 'This will work,' and it worked. The headaches are gone."

Researchers diagnosed Kohler with Random Occasional Nonspecific Pain and Discomfort Disorder (RONPDD), a minor but surprisingly pervasive medical condition that strikes otherwise healthy adults.

RONPDD is only one of many disorders for which placebo has proven effective, Bergen said.

"Placebo has been successful in the treatment of everything from lower-back pain to erectile dysfunction to nausea," Bergen said. "That's the beauty, and the mystery, of placebo. It's all-purpose. Think of it like aspirin, but without any of the analgesic properties."

The FDA is expected to approve the drug for a wide range of mood disorders later this year. According to Bergen, initial research has shown placebo to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder, depression, dysthymia, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and stress.

As industry analysts predict the drug's sales will top $25 billion in the first year, the approval of placebo is expected to unleash one of the pharmaceutical industry's biggest marketing battles to date.



GlaxoSmithKline expects to have two versions of placebo on the shelves in late December. One, a 40-milligram pill called Appeasor, will be marketed to patients 55 and over, while the other, Inertra, designed for middle-aged women, is a liquid that comes in a 355-milliliter can, and is cola-flavored. Eli Lilly plans a $3 million marketing campaign for its 400-milligram tablet, Pacifex.

"All placebos are not the same," Eli Lilly spokesman Giles French said. "Pacifex is the only placebo that's green and shaped like a triangle. Pacifex: A doctor gave it to you."
...

FDA Approves Sale Of Prescription Placebo

[Bernard]

I totally missed that upon first reading!

That puts a whole new perspective on his work promoting the VNS at epilepsy.com (see my comment - the one with the chart in it - for context).

I'm not sure how I feel about this:

Dr. Schachter Elected President of Epilepsy Society

Steven C. Schachter, MD, program leader for neurotechnology at CIMIT, has been elected president of the American Epilepsy Society, a 3,000-member association of medical professionals and scientists who study and treat the condition.

Dr. Schachter, also a CIMIT site miner at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. He serves as director of research and senior neurologist in the Department of Neurology at BIDMC.

“This is a very meaningful honor coming from his peers as it does, and we are very pleased for Steve,” said CIMIT Executive Director John Parrish, MD. “He has been a very important part of CIMIT, and his ascent to presidency of this society reflects that he is truly a national leader in his field.”

Dr. Schachter has directed more than 80 research projects involving antiepileptic treatments and contributed extensively to the medical literature of the field. He is the founding editor and current editor-in-chief of Epilepsy & Behavior. His six-volume “Brainstorm” series of books for lay readers has been distributed to more than 150,000 patients and families worldwide, and he has written or edited another 15 books on epilepsy and behavioral neurology.

Dr. Schachter attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University. He completed an internship in Chapel Hill, N.C., a neurological residency at the Harvard-Longwood Neurological Training Program, and an epilepsy fellowship at BIDMC.

"I am honored by the election,” said Dr. Schachter, “and I want to thank my colleagues in the field for this opportunity. I plan to make use of the knowledge I have obtained from my work at CIMIT, where I will continue to lead the neurotechnology efforts, for the benefit of the Society and patients with epilepsy."

Press Release

[Melanie]

I don't think drug ads are appropriate. They take two seconds to tell you side affects, but those who shouldn't take it will pressure their doctor anyway.

[Cint]

Bernard,

I'm not sure how I feel about Dr. Schachter being elected, either!

And now I have another dilemma. As I've told you before, I ended up with diabetes from being prescribed Zyprexa. (All from having the miserable brain surgery, resulting in severe depression!) Well now that I'm doing insulin shots 5 x's a day and taking BP medication, (all in addition to my anti-epileptic drugs) my endocrinologist says I need a cholesterol med, Simvastatin. Well, in the handout that the pharmacy gave me, it states that certain medical conditions, including uncontrolled seizures may increase your risk for side effects that can result in kidney problems.
I've already been to hell and back to try to get my seizures under control--- brain surgery, 11 drugs, 2 VNS surgeries, and still have seizures. So does this still mean mine are uncontrolled? IMO, it does. Anyway, I'm NOT taking the drug!!

Cindy