Pharma Marketing | Arthritis Information

This is originally from a well respected newspaper (either NY Times or LA Times) that was reprinted on a well respected Internet magazine site.

http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2002/07/11/celebrity_ drugs/index.html

I think we need to open a discussion on how these marketing ploys influence our decisions.

Pip

Argh! I still find the fact that Kathleen Turner uses AP as her main line of RA
defence and then goes out as a paid shill for Enbrel particularly maddening.
She has an opportunity to really help people, and apparently all she cares
about is personal financial gain!

It's not just her and AP, sweetie. I'm desperately trying to find an article I swore I saved on how they're paying to be written into the plot lines of medical drama's on TV where something like 53% of people surveyed say they get serious info about diseases/meds.

Pip

I get that....I just didn't comment (yet) on the rest. In Canada we don't have
phamaceutical commercials for prescription drugs (at least I've never seen
one) and I don't have cable so I haven't had much exposure to this
disturbing phenomenon. However, this is a predictable development when
there's medicine for obscene profit. Every other product uses product
placement so while it deplorable it's certainly not surprising!

Amazingly - only America and I think New Zealand allows direct to consumer advertising. And explains why we get on average something like 15 more perscriptions per year than countries without.

Now that's sad. Are we making ourselves sicker with meds?

Pip

Yes

Sure we could be making ourselves sicker with meds. And what is up with people thinking they can get serious info from a medical DRAMA on tv? These people should sit with me so I can point out everything they do that is either WRONG or just so FAKE on these shows. Have we really become so gullible?

Hugs, Gramdma, my thoughts exactly.

Pip

You guys make me laugh, although you are right the Uk dont advertise prescriptive drugs on TV... which is a good thing.You know what they say about toooooo much information being dangerous! Personally I feel that we should not have any advertisements for any drugs and we should certainly not have celebrities being PAID to advertise any drugs. My feelings on the whole advertising the latest miracle drug...it causes people to think they have every little new disease that comes out that they find a drug for and it raises our costs of health care thru the roof. If people were taught from a young age to be in tune with their bodies they would know when something really is not right and would find the appropriate treatment for it...not just the latest miracle drug. It is just my own personal belief that to treat any chronic illness you have to mix traditional with natural therapies. Now someone convince my husband of this lol. URG!! Ok different type of post there now back to the subject lol. I know my goal with my ra and it's offshoot stuff it has caused me is to be on as little meds as possible for it. I have actually whittled myself dowwn to maintenance meds for the ra, asthma, and high blood pressure. I am one of the lucky few with that are the only extra things that ra has caused. But I still incorporate diet etc to help control all of this.

As far as celebrities being paid spokespeople....makes me want to hurl. It just ticks me off they want to be paid to speak out about something like ra...or lupus...or whatever it is. You have to be PAID to help someone out. Just go get a reality check would ya. There are so many of us that help others and speak out about chronic illness without expecting anything in return. Those people are the real heroes and the real celebrities. Personally...I don't seen Kathleen Turner on the bandwagon to help people afford the cost of enbrel. Only bandwagon I see her on is to make money off an illness. Despicable. I;m sorry...these celebrities with chronic illnesses do not have to live like we do...struggling to pay for our meds or in my case meds for 2 people in the family with ra...struggling to get their homes clean...apologizing for not being able to make whatever sports game your child is playing. Because they have the money to be comfy and be driven everywhere and to get whatever treatment it is they want. Be in my shoes Ms. Turner where you may have to decide that this month you dont get enbrel (or humira in my case) because your child needs meds more than you do and you cant afford meds for both of you. No celebrity has the right to speak out about RA or any chronic illness and be paid for it until they have gimped a mile in the regular person's shoes. Even after that, that should not expect payment for anything. It should come from the heart.

Ya know what my payment is for speaking out about RA? The awareness that people get about this invisible disease and what it really does to the person and their family. My only payment I want is a thank you from someone for making a difference in their lives no matter how small it is. Shame on anyone who expects anything more.

Thank you everyone, you've made the beginning of my journey into RA insightful, amusing, hopeful and stupid as it sounds comforting. I like all the other chat too. Its like having a whole universe of people who get you.... although you may not get my british sense of humour sometimes!

I'm afraid I'm on my high horse again in the UK our 'celebs' advertisel car insurance/debt services/breakfast cereals/hair/perfume etc etc but not drugs... greed makes someone suffering from an illness take money from companies whilst plugging their wares, especially when they're probably getting their meds free as a perk.... no better than door to door salesmen in my book.

There, I'm getting off the horse now and going for a cuppa tea.

I don't care if Kathaleen Turner or Carnie Wilson get paid to advertise or talk about a drug if what they are saying is true. I'd take a mill to go on good morning america and talk about how enbrel has worked for me. I'd do it for free too, but I wouldn't turn down the $$ if they offered. And I don't think anyone here can really say who's sincere and who isn't and you shouldn't act like you can.

Linncn -

Unfortunately, that's not the point. I'd scream from rooftops about AP. You'd scream from the opposite building about Enbrel

We are nobodies. (Well, not to our loved ones but in the eyes of the world.)

The problem is the disclosure. I must disclose in Real Estate ANY financial incentive I earn that's extra.

Doctors do not.

Celebrites do not.

Have you looked on AOL or any of the ISP sites? America is obsessed with Celebrites and their foibles. Anything to bring them down to our size - then we switch it around and say, "well, you know, so and so is on X and she can afford the best docs in the world and she's choosing X so X must be good."

My point in this post - and in the next 9 that are coming every day - is that we are being subtly manipulated and we need to learn how to recognize that manipulation, rate it, and decide what we are going to do with the information. In some ways we may not care. In others, we may care a lot. Either way - forewarned is forearmed.

Pip

OK, I see what you're saying, but the thing is this..if I went to my doctor and said that I saw some movie star talking about this drug and it worked for them, my doc isn't going to go..oh, well if Kathaleen Turner's on enbrel, I guess you should be too. He's not going to put me on it if it isn't right for me no matter who's schilling it or how star struck his I might be. In fact, I don't really even know how having a star advertise something like enbrel helps the drug co at all. I can't just go out and buy it and the doc already knows about it.

Oh,sweetie, we haven't even gotten to the Pharma marketing to MD's portion of the program yet. LOL

Seriously - one of the MD's biggest complaints on one of the studies I saw before I got sick was 'marketing to consumers'. It seems we all think we know what will help us and push for that.

Heck, I pushed and pushed hard for AP altho nobody marketed me. It's the same principle.

Hugs,

Pip

P.S. Some of the studies I'm going to be posting have estimates of what Pharma is paying for advertising. 100's of millions. They are companies - they wouldn't be doing that if they didn't think it worked.

Pip

The packaging of these drugs is another thing. Sometimes I think that the packaging costs more than the drug. I don't care how fancy it's wrapped as long as it helps me. And that goes for all products. Did you know that the products that are at eye level in the stores are the best sellers even though they cost more? How gullible can we get?
Pip, thanks for your research and your "go-get-em" attitude.

Thanks,

And did you know the companies negotiate for shelf space with the stores?

I mean, this is pervasive.

Pip

Every product's shelf space is negotiated for, not just drugs.

Wow I didn't know shelf space was negotiated for. Learn something new everyday.

My point with my celebrity rant isn't sincerity. Altho since you brought that point up I do have to question the sincerity of anyone that would take money to promote a medication or make people aware of a serious and very heartbreaking disease. My point is that just because you are a celebrity does not make your word any better than my word. And there are people out there that hang on every freaking statement that comes out of celebrities mouths. No matter how ridiculous it is. What happened to independent thinking? 53% of people watch a tv drama for their medical information?? To me, that means they are taking what they see to their docs. Hopefully our docs are smart enuf to weed out fiction from reality.

I am torn on the marketing issue with the big pharma companies since some of the money they make from marketing does go to research. Not enough of the money, but some does. I just wish their commercials did not give such false hopes. Like the enbrel commercial. Makes me wanna throw stuff at the tv lol. We can return to just about a normal life IF the medication works for you. But horseback riding? The humira commercials are just as bad.

Every bit of space and location in any type of store is negotiated and paid for. Levi's pays for the wall space in Kohl's, Tostito's pays for the space in the snack aisle as well as the end cap when it is on sale.

It would be nice if they had to disclose that it was a paid endorsement. But as long as they are putting the information out there to be educational and informative they don't have to. It has it's pluses and minuses.

That article is quite old too, 2002.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not agreeing to it. But I sure am glad that these companies have the money to make these new drugs and do the research and clinical trials! I don't even want to think of where I would have been 10 years ago. And this country makes 80% of the new drugs out there and yes, we as Americans finance it. Which can suck but I'd rather have it than not have it. You couldn't pry my meds out of my hands unless I was dead! I'm not giving them up for nothin! I'm grateful that these drug companies are concentrating on our disease. "And this country makes 80% of the new drugs out there and yes, we as
Americans finance it."

Is that a true statistic? I never really thought about it, but I'd be curious to
read more if you have a link. Also, I wonder how you as Americans pay for
these drugs. I always assumed whoever consumed the drugs, regardless of
country of residence, was paying for it. Does that mean the research is paid
for by taxes and then the drug companies profit? Do Americans ppay for
research done overseas? Please clarify!Gogo - I don't think anybody could really follow the money trail, to be honest. Maybe public funds (taxes) are used through grants, and research is done at med schools (some public, some private). But drug cos. are private businesses, though most (?) are publicly-traded, meaning you can buy stock in them and profit right along. I know I haven't answered your question...

Cheesehead - not only do vendors buy space at Kohl's, they buy the actual fixtures they go on!!! And pay to be in the ads, and give Kohl's money back when a product doesn't sell ("markdown money"), and go in and put out their own stock, that they have shipped directly to Kohl's with Kohl's price tags already affixed. It's like Kohl's only real investment in the whole thing is providing a roof, four walls, and restrooms.....(all dept. stores are like this, not just Kohl's) But there's grant money and med schools all over the world, right? And
anyone from any country can buy shares, right?

I know a lot of medical research goes on right here in my (Canadian) city!Gogo - don't know where that 80% 'factoid' (?) is coming from - maybe American-owned cos. do develop most new drugs, but, for example, go to Pfizer's website and look at all their worldwide locations. Same with GlaxoSmithKline. The drug-industry is definitely global, and I do not personally feel like I'm pony-ing up for 80% of it. Hope you get some clarification.Suzanne - believe me, my SIL has worked for Kohls for many many years. The vendors DO NOT come and put the stock out, ever. Not even in jewelery. The sales associates do. My SIL worked in the store for 11 years and is now at corporate. SOME, buy their fixtures and most do not. Kohls has workers that are there overnight, locked in. They are the ones that unload the trucks and seperate the stuff and put it out on the floor. The only exceptions are jewelery and the jewelry person does it, cosmetics and the cosmetics person does it and ready to wear puts out it's own too. I worked there for Christmas help 4 years ago.

I don't remember where I read that 80% of the new drugs come from American companies. It was an article about how we pay higher prices but we also reap the rewards by getting the new drugs. I'm not debating that these companies don't have offices all over the world. I'm sure the 80% was a generalization.cheesehead39293.8518055556Sorry, Cheesehead, but I have worked for three different vendors/manufacturers that 'service' Kohl's - and not jewelry or cosmetics. I've schlepped a lot of their stock, if I made a visit and they didn't have it out - it doesn't sell from back there, that is why it pays to send in a rep to check things out. Check their vendor log and see who signs in! Apparel, accessories, home store, picture frames, Hallmark...every single dept. gets help from a vendor (at least in A-C doors). Sorry, suzanne. They may get help and a vendor may check out how their product is displayed and maybe fix their display. But vendors don't put out stock, I called my sister in law and confirmed it. Kohl's is based here and she would know since she is in the department that comes up with the floor plans and product placement.

Maybe it happens where you live. You should let your employer know that you really aren't suppose to be putting stock out at Kohl's.

There is a lot of medical research done here in the Milwaukee area too. We have one of the few companies that is allowed to do any stem cell research in our area. Abbot pharmacueticals has a location outside of Chicago. We drive right past it when we go down to see relatives in IL. I always want Danny to exit so I can ask them why humira cost so dang much money lol.

I'm not sure where the money for research comes from. Some of it has to be federal...marketing...corporate donations.,.private donations...etc. Trying to follow that paper trail would be a headache in and of itself.

This year Pharma fees to the FDA are increased from 50% to 66% of the ENTIRE FDA budget.

The fox is running the hen house.

Pip