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We Demand President Biden Instruct the FDA Office of Prescription Drug Promotion to Ban Pharma Ads
The enormous spending of pharmaceutical companies on advertising empowers them to dictate what is newsworthy and to influence the coverage of the pharmaceutical industry, resulting in a dishonest depiction of the potential benefits and harms of pharmaceutical drugs. The huge advertising spend also massively increases the cost of prescription drugs.
Why should pharmaceutical advertising be banned?
Only the US and New Zealand Allow Pharmaceutical Advertising
The US is only one of two countries in the world that allows pharma ads on television. In other words, almost every country in the world recognizes that pharma ads represent a threat to the public good.
Pharma Ads Promote Drugs Known to Cause Harm
Take for example Vioxx, an anti-arthritis drug. During the five years Vioxx was on the market, it was one of the most highly promoted medications in the world. Worldwide, over 80 Million people were prescribed it at some time. In the year before it was withdrawn from the market, Vioxx generated over $2.5 billion in sales.
Vioxx raised the risk of heart attacks, but the manufacturer continued to promote the drug to the public in the US and New Zealand long after internal company documents indicated an increased risk of death.
Is this an isolated case? Remember, Big Pharma told the American people that opioids were "safe and effective." More than 100,000 people are dying per year from opioids.
The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study of 109 new drugs approved in the US and found that fewer than 500 patients had been treated in most pre-market clinical - far too few to discover infrequent but significant adverse effects.
Increasing the Cost of Medicine
In 2023, Big Pharma spent $37 billion more on sales and marketing than on research! Naturally, spending millions of dollars a day - billions per month - on advertising hugely increases the cost of medications.
Twice as Much as Automobile Ads
Pharmaceutical companies spend almost twice as much as car companies on advertising. Not surprisingly, Americans consume more pharmaceutical products than anyone else on the planet.
Does this make Americans among the most healthy people in the world?
Quite the opposite.
The Sickest Generation
The current generation is the sickest in American history. In the 1960’s, 6% of American kids had a chronic health condition. Today it is 60%. Rates of autoimmune disease, diabetes, ADD and ADHD, autism, obesity, asthma, food allergies, and other chronic health conditions have been skyrocketing.
Enormous Harm
Not only does this alarming trend cause enormous pain and suffering, but it is also bankrupting our country. In the 1960’s, the U.S. spent 4% of GDP on healthcare. Today it is 17%. That amounts to $4.3 trillion per year, dwarfing the total federal defense and security budget of $1.3 trillion. Approximately 90% of U.S. healthcare costs today are for people with chronic and mental health conditions.
Buying the Right to Dictate Content
The primary purpose of pharmaceutical advertising is not to influence consumers, but rather the television networks and news itself. It gives Big Pharma the power to dictate what goes on the news - and what doesn’t - because the networks won’t bite the hand that feeds them. Industry observers estimate between 70% and 80% of television advertising revenue during the evening news comes from pharmaceutical ads.
Suppose a prominent newscaster makes $20 million a year. And more than 70% of that depends on income from pharmaceutical ads. Will that newscaster be willing to air a story that casts one of his sponsors in a negative light? Even if the announcer were willing, would the TV network approve airing such a segment? They would not.
For the health of our children and our failing economy, we urge the federal government to address this catastrophe by banning pharmaceutical ads.
