American TV ads for prescription drugs are fascinating, and here’s why.
A typical family of four is pedalling bikes along a sun-dappled country road on the way to a picnic, one assumes, and seemingly without a care in the world. That’s because one of the parents has broken free of the bonds of arthritis with the help of a wonder drug I will call Wonder Drug.
The fascinating part is that while these happy pictures are being displayed, the voiceover goes something like this:
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“NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), including Wonder Drug, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestinal problems, which can occur without warning and may cause death.
“Do not take Wonder Drug if you have had an asthma attack, hives or other allergies to aspirin, NSAIDs or sulphanamides. Get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat or if you have trouble breathing.”
This dichotomy of family outing/death warning comes about because federal law requires it. U.S. federal law, that is. In Canada, they don’t go into the “this can kill you” downer so much, but the regulations, while they seem strict, are poorly enforced.
Three types of prescription drug ads are aimed at the public: product claims, which include the product name and how wonderful it is, re-minders, which name the drug but don’t say what it does and help-seeking ads, which give information about new treatment options.
None of these are strictly legal in Canada, but they happen all the time. Because whoever is minding the store has a lot to do, you know? They can’t be everywhere. That would be so … governmental.
But let’s not be negative. Drug companies, or rather pharmaceutical companies because five syllables are more impressive than one, pharmaceutical companies surely must have our best interests at heart. If a single pill costs $10, well, who can put a price tag on health? Or intestinal problems or hives or swelling of the face?
