Re: Drug Ads

From: George Conklin (nilknoc_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 08/27/04 

Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:55:43 GMT

"Lictor" <ghostmlNOSPAM-REMOVE@online.fr> wrote in message
news:412ee3d2$0$2105$79c14f64@nan-newsreader-05.noos.net...
> "George Conklin" <nilknoc@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:sXsXc.13795$2L3.13420@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > > Which is why many countries have a ban on advertising drugs outside of
> > > specialized magazines. Seeing all the ads for various drugs (mainly
> AIDS)
> > > was quite a surprise while visiting the USA, and actually quite a
> shocking
> > > one.
> >
> > Why were you shocked?
>
> It just felt terribly wrong, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. What I
felt
> was around the lines of immoral, unethical, obscene. I mean, ads telling
me
> how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, and that you are able
to
> climb mountains and all, do feel obscene to me. A subway station is not
the
> place to take decisions on a matter of such vital importance as to what
drug
> you will litterally bet your life on if you have AIDS. That's a decision
> that should be taken in the privacy of a doctor's office, with the
> counselling of a *neutral* practitionner. These ads negate that special
> relationship. They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell
> chocolate bars or soap. And knowing to what level of disinformation the
food
> industry can go to sell products, I can't help but wonder at the quality
and
> neutrality of the information in drug ads.
> It felt just as wrong as ads for tobacco or alcohol products, another
thing
> we have a ban on.
>
>

  Well, you did explain your reaction. But I am not sure that medical
decisions are to be made in private. Public health is always on our cases
about this, that and the other, with Americans over 50 now being given a 90%
chance of being hypertensive according to the lastest propaganda. We are
constantly being told we all are overweight, and other sin are out there for
all to see. Drugs are no different in this system of trying to find a new
disease a day to make the headlines. I was at at a meeting with
epidemiologists who were quite cynical about getting grants. The current
system rewards NEW diseases so now grants are for PRE-diabetics,
PRE-hypertensive and so forth and so on. Thus to get the money and the
headlines, you must create a new crisis. Drug ads compete in this
environment. I don't much like any of it myself. It just makes everyone
nervous.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Drug Ads
    ... > how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, ... They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell ... > neutrality of the information in drug ads. ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Re: Drug Ads
    ... > how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, ... They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell ... > neutrality of the information in drug ads. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Canadian doctors coming to the US
    ... > how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, ... They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell ... > neutrality of the information in drug ads. ...
    (sci.med)
  • Re: Canadian doctors coming to the US
    ... > how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, ... They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell ... > neutrality of the information in drug ads. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Canadian doctors coming to the US
    ... > how great it is to live with AIDS while on drug X, ... They're trying to sell life and death like they would sell ... > neutrality of the information in drug ads. ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)