4 ms·

Going to disagree with you. Doctors often have incentives to prescribe certain drugs over others that aren’t necessarily the best drug. If it’s legal to adverti

Going to disagree with you. Doctors often have incentives to prescribe certain drugs over others that aren’t necessarily the best drug. If it’s legal to advertise to physicians then it should be legal to advertise to consumers. Ultimately the consumer is in charge of their own health and should have a say in their drug choices. Let’s think of another industry — tires. Is a consumer typically an automotive engineer or a mechanic? Then why should it be legal to advertise tires to consumers? Ultimately a mechanic will have to install the tires. However, that certainly shouldn’t preclude a consumer making their preferences known. With meds, a doctor can always say no — and they should and do if it isn’t indicated for the particular affliction. The idea that consumers need to be shielded from information is a bit weird to me.

Karunamon 9y ago
Favorited. I can understand a certain amount of protectionism being necessary but this just plain smacks of deciding that I'm too stupid to make decisions in my own interest. It's a very peculiar, and very infuriating sort of nannying. That investing carries large amounts of risk isn't new or unknown to most. If you cash out your 401K and put it in AAPL, even a modest decline could eliminate your retirement. And those are the super-regulated "safe" investments as opposed to those super dodgy "not-safe" investments that are so awful you're not allowed to advertise for them anymore.
- moate 9y ago
  Do you have a medical degree? Then you're probably too stupid to properly make decisions in your best interest regarding medications/medical treatment. This does not mean that Doug the village doctor isn't in Novartis' pocket and trying to shill their pills, just that your area of expertise is not nearly as high enough to make an accurate diagnosis of the best way to treat an ailment through medication.
  - conanbatt 9y ago
    > Do you have a medical degree? Then you're probably too stupid to properly make decisions in your best interest regarding medications/medical treatment. Funny you mention this case. Do you think the state should choose the doctor and facility you go to? For example, below a certain income, you only have access to a certain type of facilites. And what if the state said that you could only receive care from americans? because doctors outside of the US, even if they have international reputation and acclaim, or experience, or a great track record, you shouldn't be able to see them? What if the us forbid you to leave the country to buy meds somewhere else as well, or to get care outside. Beware: some of this are actually happening right now!
icantdrive55 9y ago
That's just not true. Most doctors don't prescribe a drug because of some incentive. I don't even like most doctors. Never bought the whole "I'm here to help people thing." You were good at memorizing, liked the perks of being a doctor, like the upgrade in wives/girlfriends because your just so darn sexy in blue scrubs(failing at humor. I had this acquaintance in college whom would "forget" to change his blue uniform after his shift, and we just happened to be going to the local watering hole. My last conversation with the dude was, "Does it even work? You have some stain on your ploy?", money(that is changing), blah, blah, etc. That said, most don't prescribe drugs because they get some perk. There are a few very bad apples though. These two guys, and a horrid little pharmaceutical company come to mind though, and make them (all doctors) look questionable. http://fortune.com/2018/03/10/jerrold-rosenberg-opioid-kickbacks/ http://fortune.com/2018/03/10/jerrold-rosenberg-opioid-kickb... In all honestly, the ability to charge whatever you want for a drug is a bigger problem. Plus--I have never figured out why a doctor needs a four year degree before essentially applying to Automotive School. Yes--it's a fancy Auto School, and you need to know a years worth of college physics, two years of chemistry, and a handful of other required prerequisites. My point is we need more people out there whom can prescribe. Or, make most drugs available over the counter? I despise pharmaceutical commercials. The're almost as bad as the scammy 501C3's that show us abused animals? But this is America. The land where money buys political influence. A land where the rich pretty much tell the poor what to do.
moate 9y ago
Flagged for an egregious false equivalency. To pretend that the basic understanding of a tire and it's function and a understanding of the mechanisms of most prescription drugs is a stretch that will tear the fabric of credibility. "This is a good tire, it will last longer than most and will serve you well. It is highly unlikely to interfere with any other parts of your car" VS. "This is a enzyme inhibitor that will degrade the signalling molecule cyclic guanosine monophosphate which will prevent smooth muscle relaxation. It could have unforeseen interactions with any number of different commonly imbibed chemicals."
- logfromblammo 9y ago
  Or even something like "We don't even know about all the things this molecule could do inside your body, but one of the things we do know about turns out to be pretty useful, and so we have made an arrangement with the physicians cartel. You have to pay one of them to monitor your individual situation to make it less likely you die or suffer some horribly grievous injury. In exchange, they will absorb some of our product liability for the most frequent and least severe side effects. This is usually a win-win-win, but sometimes it's just win-win for us and the physicians and a loss for you." When you want to pump people full of newly developed and recently tested chemicals, you do need someone capable of reading and understanding the publications of medical studies, and keeping track of all the recommendations published by the professional association. Auto mechanics do have a similar, less extensive sort of training in that they need to do the same kind of thing with service bulletins, but tire maintenance is one of those things that anyone with the right tool can do, like changing oil and filters or replacing brake pads. Knowing what cryptocurrency is right for you is even simpler than that. None of them are. Even the very first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is still essentially in beta release, and not suitable for consumption by the general public. Anyone who can't or won't admit that the technology is not yet ready for wide-scale adoption is selling you vapor, and will probably run off with your money, leaving you with a bag of wooden nickels. That's why the ads are coming down. Every last one of them is a fraud, like the snake-oil panaceas of unregulated frontier pharmacologists that were pretty much just booze and opioids.
- ygaf 9y ago
  That's an abuse of flagging. Assume good faith in the gp. Be happy with your reply.
s73v3r_ 9y ago
Not trying to pressure and persuade someone to take your pill is not the same as "shielding consumers".

Karunamon 9y ago

Favorited. I can understand a certain amount of protectionism being necessary but this just plain smacks of deciding that I'm too stupid to make decisions in my own interest. It's a very peculiar, and very infuriating sort of nannying. That investing carries large amounts of risk isn't new or unknown to most. If you cash out your 401K and put it in AAPL, even a modest decline could eliminate your retirement. And those are the super-regulated "safe" investments as opposed to those super dodgy "not-safe" investments that are so awful you're not allowed to advertise for them anymore.

moate 9y ago
Do you have a medical degree? Then you're probably too stupid to properly make decisions in your best interest regarding medications/medical treatment. This does not mean that Doug the village doctor isn't in Novartis' pocket and trying to shill their pills, just that your area of expertise is not nearly as high enough to make an accurate diagnosis of the best way to treat an ailment through medication.
- conanbatt 9y ago
  > Do you have a medical degree? Then you're probably too stupid to properly make decisions in your best interest regarding medications/medical treatment. Funny you mention this case. Do you think the state should choose the doctor and facility you go to? For example, below a certain income, you only have access to a certain type of facilites. And what if the state said that you could only receive care from americans? because doctors outside of the US, even if they have international reputation and acclaim, or experience, or a great track record, you shouldn't be able to see them? What if the us forbid you to leave the country to buy meds somewhere else as well, or to get care outside. Beware: some of this are actually happening right now!

icantdrive55 9y ago

That's just not true. Most doctors don't prescribe a drug because of some incentive. I don't even like most doctors. Never bought the whole "I'm here to help people thing." You were good at memorizing, liked the perks of being a doctor, like the upgrade in wives/girlfriends because your just so darn sexy in blue scrubs(failing at humor. I had this acquaintance in college whom would "forget" to change his blue uniform after his shift, and we just happened to be going to the local watering hole. My last conversation with the dude was, "Does it even work? You have some stain on your ploy?", money(that is changing), blah, blah, etc. That said, most don't prescribe drugs because they get some perk. There are a few very bad apples though. These two guys, and a horrid little pharmaceutical company come to mind though, and make them (all doctors) look questionable. http://fortune.com/2018/03/10/jerrold-rosenberg-opioid-kickbacks/ http://fortune.com/2018/03/10/jerrold-rosenberg-opioid-kickb... In all honestly, the ability to charge whatever you want for a drug is a bigger problem. Plus--I have never figured out why a doctor needs a four year degree before essentially applying to Automotive School. Yes--it's a fancy Auto School, and you need to know a years worth of college physics, two years of chemistry, and a handful of other required prerequisites. My point is we need more people out there whom can prescribe. Or, make most drugs available over the counter? I despise pharmaceutical commercials. The're almost as bad as the scammy 501C3's that show us abused animals? But this is America. The land where money buys political influence. A land where the rich pretty much tell the poor what to do.

moate 9y ago

Flagged for an egregious false equivalency. To pretend that the basic understanding of a tire and it's function and a understanding of the mechanisms of most prescription drugs is a stretch that will tear the fabric of credibility. "This is a good tire, it will last longer than most and will serve you well. It is highly unlikely to interfere with any other parts of your car" VS. "This is a enzyme inhibitor that will degrade the signalling molecule cyclic guanosine monophosphate which will prevent smooth muscle relaxation. It could have unforeseen interactions with any number of different commonly imbibed chemicals."

logfromblammo 9y ago
Or even something like "We don't even know about all the things this molecule could do inside your body, but one of the things we do know about turns out to be pretty useful, and so we have made an arrangement with the physicians cartel. You have to pay one of them to monitor your individual situation to make it less likely you die or suffer some horribly grievous injury. In exchange, they will absorb some of our product liability for the most frequent and least severe side effects. This is usually a win-win-win, but sometimes it's just win-win for us and the physicians and a loss for you." When you want to pump people full of newly developed and recently tested chemicals, you do need someone capable of reading and understanding the publications of medical studies, and keeping track of all the recommendations published by the professional association. Auto mechanics do have a similar, less extensive sort of training in that they need to do the same kind of thing with service bulletins, but tire maintenance is one of those things that anyone with the right tool can do, like changing oil and filters or replacing brake pads. Knowing what cryptocurrency is right for you is even simpler than that. None of them are. Even the very first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is still essentially in beta release, and not suitable for consumption by the general public. Anyone who can't or won't admit that the technology is not yet ready for wide-scale adoption is selling you vapor, and will probably run off with your money, leaving you with a bag of wooden nickels. That's why the ads are coming down. Every last one of them is a fraud, like the snake-oil panaceas of unregulated frontier pharmacologists that were pretty much just booze and opioids.
ygaf 9y ago
That's an abuse of flagging. Assume good faith in the gp. Be happy with your reply.

s73v3r_ 9y ago

Not trying to pressure and persuade someone to take your pill is not the same as "shielding consumers".