Program on Market Driven Drug Industry | Arthritis Information
Tonight on the PBS program "Bill Moyer's Journal" part of the program wll have a journalist discussing the dangers of a market driven drug industry. From that website:
Pharmaceutical companies were given a stern reprimand on May 8th in a hearing before U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce investigative panel. Rep. Bart Stupak, Democrat of Michigan, criticized what he considers misleading television commercials and suggested that Congress should consider restricting direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising to protect consumers.
DTC advertising is a method Melody Petersen knows well. In her newest book, OUR DAILY MEDS: HOW THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TRANSFORMED THEMSELVES INTO SLICK MARKETING MACHINES AND HOOKED THE NATION ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, she describes drugmakers as an industry whose core drive is profit, and one that has insinuated itself, through money, into every level of drug research.
It is a view she came to gradually, reporting for four years on the pharmaceutical companies for THE NEW YORK TIMES. As she tells Bill Moyers:
I actually thought that they were a lot about science. That's what they tell the public. They are all about science and discovering new drugs. But as I started to follow their daily activities and talk to executives, I learned that really it was marketing that drove them.
According to Petersen, the rewards have been large. America has become the top consumer of prescription drugs in the world, with nearly 65% of the population on physician-prescribed medication. In 2005, Americans spent 0 billion dollars on such drugs. This consumption made pharmaceuticals the most profitable business sector in America from 1995-2002.
Petersen argues in OUR DAILY MEDS that drugmakers have, for the most part, not plowed these profits back into life-saving drugs, but rather into influencing the science of medicine:
With their hoards of cash, the companies have readily handed money to patient groups, hospitals, universities, medical schools, physician societies, government agencies, and just about any organization they want on their side. [...] The industry's cash-filled coffers have given it a stranglehold on medical science.
The problem, according to Petersen, is not that medicine is bad, it's that the drug industry has lost its way.
"We've come to a time when decisions on how to treat a disease have as great a chance of being hatched in a corporate marketing department as by a group of independent doctors working to improve the public's health. In too many, cases, whether a medicine helps or harms a patient has become secondary to how much it will bring shareholders in profits."
See link for more info, history of drug advertising and "how to be drug smart":
I think this is a big problem and no doubt causes the price of these medications to increase for the consumer. I think they should ban the ads all together.
Thank you Lovie for your positive response to my post.
Its not only the cost of direct to consumer advertising (dtca) thats passed on to consumers and taxpayers, but how often do people see an ad, think they have that problem, "restless leg," "shyness" "anxiety" "sleeplessness" request it from the doctor who writes a prescription cuz he/she may not have/or take the time to further discuss "the problem" with the patient. (Now, I'm not talking about conditions like RA, fibromalgia or serious depression, so don't jump on me)
From the Bill Moyer's site:
"There is no doubt that the ads are effective. A recent study done by The Intermedia Advertising Group found that consumers had good recall of ads and products. Additional studies conducted by the FDA and the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that nearly 50 million people had responded to drug advertising by asking their doctors about a specific product."
To me, it raises the question, is the drug industry through their ads fostering a "pill society", the easy fix for whatever ails you. They do profit, and we do pay, so shouldn't we be concerned?
Joie2008-05-16 11:02:26Crud - I don't know how to program the Tivo. OK, must work on that tonight.
Pip
I could do without the ads too. Some of them scare me and others down right annoy me. I'd like to smack smiling Bob right in the teeth I'm so sick of the ED commercials. [QUOTE=Pip!]Crud - I don't know how to program the Tivo. OK, must work on that tonight.
Pip
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After these programs air, sometimes they can be viewed online or a transcript is available at Bill Moyer's Journal's site. Its an hour program, but sometimes they cover 2 or 3 topics, and this subject may not be the main story. FYI
[QUOTE=wanttobeRAfree]I could do without the ads too. Some of them scare me and others down right annoy me. I'd like to smack smiling Bob right in the teeth I'm so sick of the ED commercials. [/QUOTE]
I just bought a book about the marketing of pharmaceuticals... this looks like a very interesting program..
Thanks!!
I got the book Our Daily Meds from the library and have skimmed it. It is very revealing. Should be a great program.
Jan
[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]I got the book Our Daily Meds from the library and have skimmed it. It is very revealing. Should be a great program.
Jan
[/QUOTE]
that's it!! the book I have!!
The link below is to a transcript of the program. We consumers of prescription meds need to be aware of the pharmaceutical industry's billion dollar marketing practices and its influence on Congress and the medical profession. Everyone should read this, or go to the main Bill Moyers Journal website to view the program online.
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