The Jon Blog

Why?

There are many, many things that I know I will never understand. Such as why there is anyone who thinks that George W. Bush should be reelected (or why he should have been elected in the first place).

But what today's query will address is the issue of advertisements for prescription medication.

First of all, I just want to say that I hate that ad for "Zelnorm" where you have to look at all the women's stomachs with the magic marker writing on them. While they talk about their bowels. I just don't want to know. And quite honestly, this is a conversation that should be had in the privacy of an office with your personal physician. Oh, or is it supposed to be more of an ad to go see your doc because you had one too many stomach aches?

But what's worse are these ads for medications where they don't even tell you what it's for. There was one I saw the other night, and I don't remember the name of the medicine, but it was all these smiling happy shots of women and children; I assume the women were playing the roles of the mothers rather than of creepily smily kidnappers, but I can't be sure. And I have no clue what the medicine would be for. Not dying? Smiling more? Having more babies? Flu? It could be anything.

I mean, if the pharmaceutical companies want to spend money on TV, why not do PSA-type ads where they educate people about diseases we need to know more about? End it with a kind word about a "Trip to your doctor," not about a free dose or a $50 gift certificate.

And am I the only person who thinks that there should be a ban on ads for Erectile Dysfunction? Seriously, again, these are prescription medications, and this is the kind of thing people should be discussing with their doctor, not with me or Matt Lauer. (Plus, how can the words "erectile dysfunction" and "Matt Lauer" be in the same sentence anyhow?)

Or the billboard ads in gay neighborhoods for HIV/AIDS medicines? I mean, again, you think some homo is going to ask his doc for a med just because he saw it on the side of a bus-stop?

Speaking of meds for HIV/AIDS, I heard a terrible urban legend/old wives' tale kind of thing. Since pharmecutical companies stand to make a lot more money with Viral Management meds than they do with curing AIDS/HIV, that's why there's not a bigger "push for a cure" on behalf of the pharmeceutical giants. (And, speaking of presidents and pharmeceutical companies, did you notice in the NYTimes' article about the funding of the upcoming Republican Convention that Pfizer gave millions for the event?)

I think that the pharmeceutical companies are trying to scare the public. And I think that it's ridiculous how impressionable (read, stupid) the public is to fall for all this shit. At least I'm not. And remember, Dude, I'm using a Dell...

Posted by Jon at June 17, 2004 12:35 PM | TrackBack