Politics As Usual
Shining a Light on Power and Policy
Tom Shine covers congressional politics for ABC News.
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"Cholesterol. It Can Come from Bowtie Pasta, But Also From Your Grandfather Bo"
May 08, 2008 2:05 PM
The tv screen shows a plate of yummy pasta then splits to show the pasta and a picture of an elderly man with a bow tie. The announcer says, "cholesterol. It can come from bowtie pasta, but also from Grandfather Bo. Then you see a creamy banana pie on the screen and soon that splits to show a woman next to it. The announcer goes on, "from that pie, creamy banana, and your mom Juliana." Then the cute images fade and you see full screen the word, VYTORIN. The ad goes on to claim that VYTORIN treats BOTH sources of Cholesterol.
That "DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER" ad campaign, which is no longer airing, was called "FOOD AND FAMILY" and according to a congressional memo it was very successful. "VYTORIN RACKED UP $5 BILLION A YEAR IN SALES PRIOR TO 2008." The ad campaign was also not completely truthful. Congressional staffers say a SIGNIFICANT STUDY showing VYTORIN's LACK of EFFECTIVENESS was delayed for two years, and the FDA determined that the ads violated policy by NOT including a disclaimer related to the drug's effectiveness.
And there is another problem with these ads. Ruth S. Day from Duke University, who researches how people understand, remember, and use information, has done a study that shows 80% of those who saw the drug ads remembered the BENEFITS, while only 20% could identify the SIDE EFFECTS. This morning she will tell a house subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Stupak, that the drug risk information is frequently provided in "unfavorable locations, using a FASTER speech rate, during visual and auditory distractions."
The Drug companies spend a lot more money pitching their drugs than they do researching new ones and according to hill staffers the return on their dollar is significant. Every $1 spent on DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER advertising results in $6 IN INCREASED SALES
May 8, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (5)
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BS - it can come from drug companys or congress!
go figure
Posted by: DAVID NH | May 8, 2008 2:31:46 PM
I amthe opposite. I could name all of the side effects because they stand out to me because there are so many of them and they make it sound as if you would be worse off from taking the medication than not.
Posted by: marie | May 8, 2008 2:42:41 PM
How True, Marie,
My thought is that if it involves $$$ either / both will become cheats and weasels.
Posted by: DAVID NH | May 8, 2008 3:00:44 PM
Pharmaceutical companies fail the consumer because of their success in lobbying.
Posted by: katrina | May 8, 2008 5:05:03 PM
We are nothing but little guinea pigs with all these medicines that come out. The pharaceutical companies push these drugs out as quickly as possible to make the almighty dollar and we suffer the side effects and all the unknown dangers from lack of testing and research. Regulations need to change soon because it is getting way out of control.
Posted by: Dale San Jose CA | May 18, 2008 2:28:29 AM
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