3 ms·

I think it's because the US is one of the few (only??) countries to allow advertisements for prescription drugs.

by pram 5y ago

teddyh 5y ago
It’s technically not the only country, as it’s also legal in New Zealand. But nowhere else.
Spivak 5y ago
I'm not trying to condone terrible drug advertisements but man there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with. I know the meme de jour is teens diagnosing themselves with ADHD because of TikTok but it's the perfect example of a whole bunch of people being like "holy shit it's not supposed to be this hard all the time? You can actually do something about it?"
- alistairSH 5y ago
  there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with. That should be the doctor's job. Doctors have too much financial pressure to pump patients through, so they have neither the time to get to know individual patients nor time to keep abreast of current trends in their speciality. Should MedicineX be allowed to have a website with a FAQ? Yes. Should MedecineX be pushing ads on TV/radio that make it seem like it's a cure for everything that ails you? Nope.
  - Auracle 5y ago
    Sure, but people need to first know what they're dealing with isn't normal before they can even ask about it. I have really, really bad fatigue. It took me years to figure out everyone else didn't feel that way. I was in high school and was able to skate by on intelligence alone.
- refurb 5y ago
  The FDA has already asked doctors if they think advertising is good: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/impact-direct-consumer-advertising https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients... Most physicians agreed that because their patient saw a DTC ad, he or she asked thoughtful questions during the visit. Many physicians thought that DTC ads made their patients more involved in their health care. Seventy-eight percent of physicians believe their patients understand the possible benefits of the drug very well or somewhat, compared to 40 percent who believe their patients understand the possible risks, and 65 percent believe DTC ads confuse patients about the relative risks and benefits of prescription drugs. Eight percent of physicians said they felt very pressured to prescribe the specific brand-name drug when asked. DTC ads help patients have better discussions with their physicians and provide greater awareness of treatments. The study demonstrated that when a patient asked about a specific drug, 88 percent of the time they had the condition that the drug treated. And 80 percent of physicians believed their patients understood what condition the advertised drug treats.

I think it's because the US is one of the few (only??) countries to allow advertisements for prescription drugs.

by pram 5y ago

I think it's because the US is one of the few (only??) countries to allow advertisements for prescription drugs.

teddyh 5y ago

It’s technically not the only country, as it’s also legal in New Zealand. But nowhere else.

Spivak 5y ago

I'm not trying to condone terrible drug advertisements but man there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with. I know the meme de jour is teens diagnosing themselves with ADHD because of TikTok but it's the perfect example of a whole bunch of people being like "holy shit it's not supposed to be this hard all the time? You can actually do something about it?"

alistairSH 5y ago
there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with. That should be the doctor's job. Doctors have too much financial pressure to pump patients through, so they have neither the time to get to know individual patients nor time to keep abreast of current trends in their speciality. Should MedicineX be allowed to have a website with a FAQ? Yes. Should MedecineX be pushing ads on TV/radio that make it seem like it's a cure for everything that ails you? Nope.
- Auracle 5y ago
  Sure, but people need to first know what they're dealing with isn't normal before they can even ask about it. I have really, really bad fatigue. It took me years to figure out everyone else didn't feel that way. I was in high school and was able to skate by on intelligence alone.
refurb 5y ago
The FDA has already asked doctors if they think advertising is good: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/impact-direct-consumer-advertising https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients... Most physicians agreed that because their patient saw a DTC ad, he or she asked thoughtful questions during the visit. Many physicians thought that DTC ads made their patients more involved in their health care. Seventy-eight percent of physicians believe their patients understand the possible benefits of the drug very well or somewhat, compared to 40 percent who believe their patients understand the possible risks, and 65 percent believe DTC ads confuse patients about the relative risks and benefits of prescription drugs. Eight percent of physicians said they felt very pressured to prescribe the specific brand-name drug when asked. DTC ads help patients have better discussions with their physicians and provide greater awareness of treatments. The study demonstrated that when a patient asked about a specific drug, 88 percent of the time they had the condition that the drug treated. And 80 percent of physicians believed their patients understood what condition the advertised drug treats.