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Pharma Marketing Faces a Character-Count Conundrum
this_boat_is_real writes "There's growing concern over how pharmaceutical companies use social media and the Internet to market their products. Last November, the US Food and Drug Administration held a hearing on the topic, and many were worried over how marketing mediums such as Twitter — which has a 140-character limit on text — can sufficiently disclose drug risks." Here's the FDA's announcement about last year's hearings, which includes links to an archive of presentations as well as a video record of the meeting.
Quit allowing the advertisement of prescription drugs.
Not going to happen, check out the Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press
It's pretty clear. And personally I don't favor amending it just so some easily manipulable people can stop getting upset when their doctors don't prescribe them the random medicine they saw on TV. Learn not to be manipulated by advertising, it's an important life skill. Don't make the rest of us suffer just because a small group who can't handle it. By your logic we ought to ban a lot of things because a small minority can't handle them.
Qxe4
It's better than that. Money for those ads has to come from somewhere and spending it on advertising rather than spending it on lowering the cost of R&D and lowering the cost of the drugs themselves is nothing short of greed beyond any hope of redemption. An ad for any medication whose side effects can be worse than the symptom they treat should not be allowed period. Making such a rule would simply change what side effects are reported though. The intent of Truth in advertising laws should be held to strict compliance with such things. Yes, they use a happy self confident man to advertise erectile dysfunction pills, and all the women who now want him, how his golf game is improved and on and on. They should advertise it truthfully: Yes, you now have an erection (for the next four+ hours) and you have to deal with that while your wife is nagging and bitching at you because you still didn't do all the other stuff that she wanted. While it may make your underwear fit tighter it will do absolutely nothing for her menopausal homicidal derangement.
If you have PAD and never knew it, see a doctor. If you are also all but dead we have a medication that may be able to make your life worth living for a couple of more months. If you have PAD and want a couple of side effects that make you wish you were dead, we have a medication that may be able to help you.
If you don't think you can afford this medicine, don't worry, we have a way to scam the insurance industry, after all, we've helped pay for most of their vacation homes for the last 35 years.
Disclaimer: We are in the business of making money for the 'treatment' of medical conditions. If you are looking for a cure, please see your doctor, priest, or feel free to ignore our company altogether. Not all drugs are made with such callous intentions, but all drugs made by us are made this way. Not all drugs can treat all symptoms, so generally, if you have consistent breathing it is not possible to determine if this drug will affect you in a positive way, consult your doctor for more information for this symptom. If this medication makes you feel and look like any person in our advertisements, please call our marketing department: allow 30-45 rings as they may be sleeping.
Chantix is a non-nicotine stop smoking treatment. If you want help to stop smoking see your doctor. He may prescribe Chantix. Remember thalidomide? We do too. Chantix may have some side effects if you are not already suffering from mental disorders. These side effects may make you wish you had suffered from mental health disorders prior to taking Chantix. It make also make your neighbors wish you had been on mental health medicines before taking Chantix. If you are in the random 53% of people who are not totally fucked over by this medication, you might be one of the lucky ones to get headaches and diarrhea. For those symptoms, please see your doctor as we have medications for those symptoms also.
These medications are worse than unethical, in many cases they are advertising a chance for you to die. Yes, die. Any medication with a side effect of death is nothing more than Russian roulette with insurance company assistance in buying the bullets. Every disclaimer for medications should have two measures for side effects: one that lists the possible side effects, and one that lists the total number of marketing people who tested the drug and which if any of them suffered from side effects. Yes, I said it. All testing should be repeated on Marketing Group members and sales if they are involved etc.
It must be reported what percentage of company employees who tested the drug also suffered side effects.
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This site in particular is full of self-diagnosers who'll jump on you as an elitist for suggesting that a doctor might know more about your body than you do.
A torrent of "doctors know nothing - they gave my dad three months to live and he survived nearly a hundred days" will be along shortly.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."