I’m not sure if I see more commercials for cholesterol drugs or male sexual dysfunction. Either way, I’ve learned to tune them out, even when the mute button isn’t handy. Are they annoying? Yes, I think so. Are they misleading? Ah, that’s another question that deserves more consideration. Prescription drug information paired with emotional imagery seems wrong to me. This isn’t a Hallmark card you’re buying.

Yet, I don’t totally disagree that drug companies should be allowed to advertise directly to consumers. If they did it right, they could even help a few people out. But are they doing it right? …read more

One of my mottoes has always been, “If you want something done, get up and do the damn thing.” Having that mentality is definitely one of the reasons I love grassroots movements and advocacy.
It’s also definitely one of the reasons I love passing along information about said grassroots movements and advocacy to you lovely people.
A couple of weeks after the Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills series here at Mental Health Notes, I received an email from Consumers Union Grassroots Organizer Daniela Nunez about their recent petition to the FDA for better reporting of drug side effects. The Appropriately labeled …read more

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Extra!
CFS Squared and Baldiness blogger Laura clued me in on “Big Bucks, Big Pharma” documentary when I announced the Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills series.
After googling “Big Bucks, Big Pharma” I found the Media Education Foundation’s (MEF) Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease & Pushing Drugs, which directs readers to this relatively short trailer.
Certain direct quotes from the trailer hit home with this Mental Health Notes series (Grab Drug Advertisements By The Pills), such as:

“Both doctors and the public want to reach for the newest prescription drug.
“You can’t sit down to TV at …read more

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part Three
Now that you know how drug advertisements can both educate and confuse you, and the FDA regulations in place to help them do just that, let’s consider the cost of the prescription medications featured in the most recent drug advertisements.

Simply put, it’s pretty dang high. The most expensive drugs tend to dominate the advertisement scene.
Why?
Well, skepticism and criticism common sense tells me it’s because they’re the most expensive. Drug companies want to get the most expensive drugs out there in the public eye in order to make more money. Of course, you shouldn’t …read more

Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills: Part Two
Carrying on with the Grab Drug Advertisements by the Pills series, let’s talk about drug advertisements and the FDA. Specifically, what drug advertisements are and are not required to tell us.

Since 1962, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (or, the FDA) has regulated prescription drug advertising under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and related regulations. (The FDA considers an “advertisement” to be broadcast promotions such as television and radio, print materials such as magazines and newspapers, and even telephone contacts.)
These references cover a lot of material, so I’ll sum up what’s …read more