Too Much of a Good Thing for Big Pharma?

I was watching the national news last evening, doing my usual switching among the network programs hoping to catch news on one while advertising was showing on another. Of course, they have it timed so their ads all run at precisely the same times, so I couldn’t win this battle. But something else stood out.

Perhaps because I hadn’t watched the evening news programs for a few weeks, I was struck by the fact that all the ads, on each of the three network stations, were Big Pharma ads, encouraging viewers to push their doctors to prescribe medications. These have gradually over the last few years been creeping in, but usually they were sandwiched among ads for new cars or for over-the-counter hemorrhoid concoctions.

There were medications to control urination problems (for men and women), to reduce cholesterol, to slow the progression of Alzheimers, and others I can’t even remember now. (Maybe I should try that Alzheimers drug!) Each was followed by fast-reading lists of terrible side effects that can result from using the drugs.

I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Forbes ran a major feature earlier this month: "Pill Pushers: How the Drug Industry Abandoned Science for Salesmanship".  (It will cost you $2 to see the full article.) It begins by describing a Big Pharma concoction for relieving an annoying fungus that leads to yellow toenails–and, oh by the way, has led to 16 cases of liver disease. The idea is that Big Pharma’s single-minded pursuit of sales isn’t just distasteful, it’s dangerous.

And if today’s Financial Times is correct, countries outside the U.S. are tiring of Big Pharma’s ongoing pitch to consumers to badger their doctors to prescribe the latest medications. Health care regulators in the UK, Germany, and other coutries are refusing to pay for many of these medications, arguing they are too expensive compared with older drugs that often do the same things. (You can get the start of the article, but unfortunately the Financial Times will push you to take a trial or paying subscription to see the article.) Will U.S. insurers be next in questioning the Big Pharma smorgasborg?