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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

#201

Post by djloche »

sanderjd wrote: post #18
Dwolb wrote: post #9

This is an issue for both doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Doctors hate it because patients may want a drug that's not optimal for them (but I saw if on TV) and it's bad for pharmaceuticals because they've had to become marketing machines, investing massive amounts of money into advertising and sales apps. The biggest issue with an outright ban is consumer education. Someone, something, or some organization need…

> Someone, something, or some organization needs to be responsible for properly communicating and educating consumers on a drug Why shouldn't this just be their doctor?

I would argue that if you purchase a Health Care & Insurance Service plan from a megacorp, that corporation should be responsible for providing medical education and advocacy services to their customers.

Eg. If you have a plan with Blue Cross, they should have both software and individuals that can advise and be a resource to you. Maybe these are medical students, or some 2 year medical advocacy degree, RN, pharmacist - someone with some experience working/studying in the health care industry. So you go to the doctor and the doctor says, this is my diagnosis, here is a treatment plan, you call up your Health Care Advocate and they review with you as a second set of eyes on the issue. Maybe it all checks out, maybe there is a generic that could save you a ton of money, maybe there is a new drug that works better and your doctor was just going through the motions and isn't up to date on the drugs for your particular issue, but either way, having someone else there to help you get the best care would be a huge benefit, and thus a huge industry opportunity.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#202

Post by alanh »

johncolanduoni wrote: post #179
Turbo_hedgehog wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you allow basically the same ad but disallow mention of any brand names - only the generic name or condition to be treated?

Then we have a tragedy of the commons, where Pfizer and Lilly (the makers of Viagra and Cialis respectively) will wait for the other to create generic ED ads that they will both benefit from.

Or they would, you know, work together for exactly this reason, like how dairy farmers supported Got Milk? together

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#203

Post by MichaelGG »

wpietri wrote: post #87
mindcrime wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

because a free market gives its consumers what they want and even rational people will take opiates over a constructive life And? If that's their preference who are you (or I, etc.) to say otherwise?

People with addictions don't have preferences in the sense you mean. The nature of addiction is that it subverts and overrides the (delicate) mechanisms of rational choice. If the principle we live by is maximizing total individual freedom, then I think freedom from addiction has to be part of that. For that matter, much of the point of advertising is also to subvert one's preferences. So as a believer in individual…

That's doublespeak. "In order to be free, you must not be free". And very few people are even remotely rational in the first place. And there's little irrational in choosing opiates (long term effects are not nearly as bad as many other things deemed acceptable).

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#204

Post by arawde »

c3534l wrote: post #196

I guess I'll be the one to go against the grain here. I've seen a lot of doctors over the years, primarily for mental illness, but my experience has served me well generalizing to normal, physical health. The model of a doctor as a paternal guardian who knows better than you so you should just do as he says is a very bad model. They're as flawed human beings as anyone else and the only person qualified to fight for y…

As someone who also has mental health issues, I want to say I agree. However, I don't think ads are the optimal way for a populace to stay educated. Personally, every medication I've been prescribed has been followed by my own research as to how the medication is designed to work.

I will agree though that the relationship between me and my doctor should be a two-way one. I am completely open with my doctor and make it known what i expect out of them, and they are the same with me.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#205

Post by duderific »

hackbinary wrote: post #175

I live in the UK, and I love that there are no Rx TV commercials here. Then again, I live in Scotland, and I get my prescriptions for free. The NHS is an incredible service, and it surprises me that most Americans don't want publicly funded healthcare. Even those darn Canadian guys north of your boarder have a good public healthcare system. BTW, the UK economy spends almost half in, relative terms, at 9.6% of the UK…

We're 'MURICANS! We don't need no stinking gubmint telling us what doctor we can see! Now let me get down to Walmart on my Medicare provided scooter because I'm too obese to walk... https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11046.pdf

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#206

Post by alanh »

SilasX wrote: post #119
copperx wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

I don’t think you are! :) I’ve seen these too, and I think they are a little funny, and fairly true. A dev will know Twilio is just how you do phone and SMS, and non-devs generally don’t!

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#207

Post by bmelton »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #96
nostromo wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most healthcare consumers don't shop around by cost for their healthcare because they don't pay the bills.

True! But the healthcare market is grossly inefficient. Prices are hidden from users. Drug makers can pitch straight to consumers, who aren't medical professionals. I'd agree that consumers would shop around given the proper incentives, and as long as those incentives didn't diminish the healthcare they receive (or their health in general). Single payer seems to be the better option. It streamlines collecting revenue…

You could easily argue that "Most healthcare consumers don't shop around by cost for their healthcare because they don't pay the bills" is a good argument against single payer.

Honestly, I think if we treated medical insurance more like we treated car insurance, home insurance, et al, then the cost of medical goods would go down.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#208

Post by peter303 »

cbhl wrote: post #174
detaro wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slight OT: How much more expensive does the stuff have to be that biweekly doctor visits for blood tests are cheaper? (Not even getting into the topics of "how much is not having to do that every 2 weeks worth" and "can't the patient pay the difference if they want to?")

Judging from their comments; that doctor lives in Germany, which seems to have a national health care system (in addition to private insurance). (In the US, a 15-minute doctor's visit could easily cost an end-patient $150-$200 out of pocket if their insurance doesn't cover it or has a high deductible; doing a blood draw every two weeks can get very expensive at that rate.)

Several of the the thinner drugs cost $10-20 a pill or in the range of $5000 a year. Assume anything you see on TV is a mi imum of $300 a month, perhaps more. The roll-on testonerone is $500 a month. Bushes generous medicare drug bebefit maxes out at 90%. It can still break you with a couple big ones.

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#209

Post by arawde »

chjj wrote: post #146
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…

I wrote a screenplay for a Prozac commercial. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT FADE IN ON: Supremely apathetic insomnia-afflicted MAN fantasizing about putting a revolver to his head. NARRATOR (V.O.) (speaking at breakneck pace) Side effects may include suicidal thoughts... CUT TO BLACK as gunshot is heard. MOONLIGHT SONATA begins to play. SUPER: Prozac - Because you deserve to be happy.

My only critique of your script is that the ordering between the side effects and the product name would seem to imply that other medications cause more side effects than Prozac

Re: Doctors want ban on prescription drug, device advertisements

#210

Post by smadge »

hammock wrote: post #165
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…

The irony of wanting to ban Rx drug ads because they are creepy, is that it was regulations that made them creepy to begin with. (You seem aware of this already) There is an argument to be made for consumer advertising for a drug like Viagra. Without awareness that an effective treatment exists, patients with ED or another embarrassing condition are not likely to bring it up with their doctor on their own, thus resul…

Advertisements are very different than public service announcements.
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