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Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

arstechnica.com

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Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#111

Post by mirimir »

gist wrote: post #76
joshuaheard wrote: post #10

I've never understood the logic behind prescription drug ads. The first rule of sales is to pitch the decision maker. You can't buy prescription drugs without a doctor's authorization, so basically the ads are asking people to go beg their doctors for medicine they may, or may not, need. The doctor, in turn, may give in to the patient's emotional pleas, since they are, in effect, in a customer service business. This…

"I've never understood the logic behind prescription drug ads. The first rule of sales is to pitch the decision maker." Plenty of logic is there. Part of the purpose is to make the Doctor pay attention to the advertising that they see in a journal. [1] How? Patient goes in and "asks their doctor" about a drug. Then another patient. And another. So now when the doctor sees an ad (or the detail man comes in) the doctor…

Yes, this is pretty much how it works. Brand drug makers buy data to track how well this is working, for their drugs vs competitors.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#112

Post by jessriedel »

phren0logy wrote: post #32

I'm a doctor, and I think this is a good idea. The information provided to both doctors and patients by drug companies is marketing material. The best source of information is peer-reviewed publications, and even those are subject to some bias. Still, that's the best source we have, and should be the primary way all of us get health care information. If you, as a patient, do not understand what the reasearch articles…

This logic applies to all consumer products.

The best way to tell which car is safer is to read the original cash-test reports. Furthermore, if you make a mistake in choosing your car, there is some chance you'll die as a result. Should we ban car commercial? Even car commercials that merely report (as they usually do) summaries of the crash-test reports ("best is class safety!", "4 stars from the car insurance safety board!"), because they may be biased in how they do so?

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#113

Post by [deleted] »

nsxwolf wrote: post #93

These ads are one of the main reasons I became a cord cutter. I'm very happy they have not yet followed me onto any of the streaming services I use. They are the creepiest thing ever on television. The actors sit around dinner tables with family members speaking unnatural, FDA manipulated dialog ("Oh, I'm doing great, I've been taking Pradaxa for my afib, not caused by a heart valve problem!") Then you get the unendi…

[deleted]

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#114

Post by GoodOldNe »

MichaelGG wrote: post #52
FireBeyond wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One I see in the field as a paramedic? "Any drug allergies?" "Aspirin, Tylenol, Tramadol, etc" "Oh, so you're allergic to 'all' non-narcotic pain medication? That must be ... inconvenient."

How do you respond to such a thing? If a patient is allergic to aspirin, concerned about liver toxicity from APAP, doesn't want stomach issues from NSAIDs, etc.? Do they just have to suffer or do you "give in" and provide them desired relief?

"Do they just have to suffer or do you "give in" and provide them desired relief?"

No. There are plenty of other options for treating their pain without using opioids -- first I would educate them about the relative risks and benefits of, say, acetaminophen/APAP. I could use something like intravenous lidocaine or low-dose ketamine, or if it's a traumatic type of pain some kind of regional anesthesia. If it's more neuropathic, you can use tricyclics or drugs that work on GABA pathways. Beyond all that, I try to talk to people about the harms associated with opiates/oids such as hyperalgesia that develops in many long-term users, which is a really significant and underappreciated harm alongside things like addiction and potential respiratory depression.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#115

Post by copperx »

joshuaheard wrote: post #10

I've never understood the logic behind prescription drug ads. The first rule of sales is to pitch the decision maker. You can't buy prescription drugs without a doctor's authorization, so basically the ads are asking people to go beg their doctors for medicine they may, or may not, need. The doctor, in turn, may give in to the patient's emotional pleas, since they are, in effect, in a customer service business. This…

It would be hilarious if commercial platform vendors had ads targeted to software development clients: "Ask your developer about .NET technologies for your next project".

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#116

Post by archwild »

[deleted] wrote: post #113
nsxwolf wrote: post #93

These ads are one of the main reasons I became a cord cutter. I'm very happy they have not yet followed me onto any of the streaming services I use. They are the creepiest thing ever on television. The actors sit around dinner tables with family members speaking unnatural, FDA manipulated dialog ("Oh, I'm doing great, I've been taking Pradaxa for my afib, not caused by a heart valve problem!") Then you get the unendi…

[deleted]

He/she did not state anywhere that the government should ban them.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#117

Post by eevilspock »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #83
vonmoltke wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Doctors tend to be Republican and free-market adherents. Where did you get this idea from?

Not to mention this idea: > Over and over people on HN come to the defense of advertising.

> Doctors tend to be Republican and free-market adherents.

This was based on an outdated[1][2] understanding and personal experience (my father is a physician and nearly every physician I knew supported Reagan). I retract.

> Over and over people on HN come to the defense of advertising.

I know this because in my comments here I frequently criticize the role of advertising on the internet and society in general. The downvotes are many. Not everyone defends ads, but many do, and my comment is directed at them.

Here's one thread[3]. I can't spend more time on this, so if you guys still don't believe me, you win (for the moment). I'd rather you were right anyway. -

[1] "In the mid-90s, 72% physicians' campaign donations went to Republicans." https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2015/04/30/how-docto...

[2] "The percentage of contributions that doctors have given to Republicans has mostly declined since 1996. It dipped below 50 percent in 2008 before rebounding in 2010." "The study attributed the partisan shift to an increase in female physicians and the shrinking number of doctors running their own solo and small practices." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/upshot/doctors-arent-stron...

[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10398290

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#118

Post by tosseraccount »

alkonaut wrote: post #109
tosseraccount wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"A patient will never be able to make a rational decision when buying a drug. " Nonsense.

"never" was the wrong choice of word. In general there are many cases when patients are not able to make a rational decision. And rarely, if ever, a better decision than a doctor will.

I think people can be trusted to run their own lives without constant supervision by certified professionals.

Britain for instance allows over the counter medicine that's illegal in the US.

Is there some mass irrationality going on over there?

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#119

Post by SilasX »

copperx wrote: post #115
joshuaheard wrote: post #10

I've never understood the logic behind prescription drug ads. The first rule of sales is to pitch the decision maker. You can't buy prescription drugs without a doctor's authorization, so basically the ads are asking people to go beg their doctors for medicine they may, or may not, need. The doctor, in turn, may give in to the patient's emotional pleas, since they are, in effect, in a customer service business. This…

It would be hilarious if commercial platform vendors had ads targeted to software development clients: "Ask your developer about .NET technologies for your next project".

Twilio has "ask your developer" ads:

https://twitter.com/tsunderji/status/579053680919347200

Not sure if I'm missing some subtext though...

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#120

Post by DanBC »

tosseraccount wrote: post #118
alkonaut wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"never" was the wrong choice of word. In general there are many cases when patients are not able to make a rational decision. And rarely, if ever, a better decision than a doctor will.

I think people can be trusted to run their own lives without constant supervision by certified professionals. Britain for instance allows over the counter medicine that's illegal in the US. Is there some mass irrationality going on over there?

To be fair those OTC meds are a significant cause of death in the UK.
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