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You know what makes me angry? Repetitive, dream-like, and misleading prescription drug commercials seem to eat up TV airtime year after year, and are common on social media and in print magazines. Pharmaceutical advertisers spent $1.1 billion in January 2023 alone.
Big drug companies are obsessed with direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and marketing for prescription drugs, and are happy to bypass medical professionals and appeal directly to consumers. They rely on your gullibility and undermine your doctor.
DTC ads are designed to sell products, not to educate. At the same time, it contributes to out-of-control medical costs.
Inflation-adjusted per capita spending on retail prescription drugs in the United States increased from $101 in 1960 to $1,147 in 2021.
How many times have you seen commercials promoting Ozempic as a magic pill for weight loss? It’s actually a drug that treats type 2 diabetes.
According to the Health Policy Institute, nearly 70% of all adults in the United States use at least one prescription drug. This number rises to 85% for adults aged 65 and older.
How much time will your doctor have to spend today explaining why that drug you saw on TV isn’t right for you?
In 2021, the top 10 pharmaceutical spenders spent just over $8.1 billion on advertising campaigns.
DTC advertising provides significant benefits to the pharmaceutical industry. For every dollar spent in 2000, we generated more than $4.20 in sales.
Federal law does not prohibit drug companies from advertising any type of prescription drug containing “controlled substances.”
I know what I’m saying. My son Daniel died by suicide at the age of 27 due to an addiction to Adderall, a controlled substance and still being advertised. We are creating addicts who are addicted to certain drugs.
You’ve probably seen the same disturbing commercials that show people suffering because of chipped nails or something that prevents them from enjoying life. The announcer then touts the drug’s claimed benefits. This is followed by Zen-like music and scenes and graphics that show the patient suddenly realizing the benefits of the drug.
Signal the patient to start smiling for the camera. Next, have the announcer bring up side effects. It takes longer than an elephant’s gestation period to recite that list. Miraculously, the patient was able to do things he couldn’t do before, including playing the banjo, swimming 100 yards in Olympic record time, and singing three arias from “Aida.”
Enough of this nonsense. Here are some hard facts and figures you probably don’t know.
According to a 2020 study, Big Pharma is the biggest spender of any lobbyist group in Washington, D.C., spending more than $7.1 billion from 1999 to 2018. As a result, the United States takes more medicines than any other country and ranks first in the world for the cost of critical medicines.
Big pharmaceutical companies often promote new drugs before their safety profile is known. We have become a pill culture and are abusing drugs. DTC advertising contributes to a culture of overmedication.
The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow advertising of DTC medicines. Most countries banned this practice in the 1940s. The United States also spends more on drugs than all other developed countries combined.
The Journal of the American Medical Association has been calling for a complete ban on DTC marketing for years.
Big drug companies often sell their most expensive drugs over and over again. Cheaper treatments are available. They promote the idea that there is a drug that can treat any problem, even problems that shouldn’t require a prescription, like aging, wrinkles, and low testosterone levels.
Here’s how to resolve some of these issues:
Congress should force the Food and Drug Administration to review and approve the contents of all drugs before they are released to the public, but that is not currently necessary.
FDA should require a two-year moratorium on DTC advertising for newly launched prescription drugs to allow for proper oversight and regulation of drug safety and effectiveness.
Government agencies should also require advertisements to include information about alternative treatments, such as lifestyle changes, improved nutrition, and increased physical activity.
Congress should not allow First Amendment concerns about commercial speech to prevent it from passing necessary federal legislation to end DTC sales of all prescription drugs, especially controlled substances.
Lawmakers also need to pass a bill first proposed in 2015 that would prohibit the use of DTC marketing funds as tax credits. We need to stop Big Pharma from exploiting this advertising loophole. They shouldn’t be able to deduct expenses from their federal taxes. For years, Congress has attempted to amend the Internal Revenue Code to deny deductions for prescription drug advertising expenses.
It would be nice if it were possible to try a voluntary moratorium, but it will probably fail because TV stations, drug companies, and doctors make so much money.
The practice of direct-to-consumer drug sales is fraught with problems that undermine the integrity of our health care system, strain the doctor-patient relationship, and contribute to our nation’s rising health care costs and overmedication. The ultimate goal should be to support a health system that prioritizes patient health and well-being, based on professional guidance rather than commercial interests.
Pharmaceutical companies’ influence on consumer choices and perceptions is significant. We must hold Big Pharma accountable.
Former CU Regent At-Large Jim Martin can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com.
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