See the Light

Drug Company Tactics.Posted 2005-03-08

FACT: Between 1997 and 2001, drug companies tripled the amount of money they spent on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs - the ads now seen so frequently on television and in newspapers. The number of retail prescriptions rose from 2.4 billion in 1997 to 3.1 billion in 2001. Those prescriptions carry a total yearly price tag of at least $200 billion, with the cost rising about 12% per year, approximately six times the rate of inflation.But doesn't the increased use of medications signal better health for Americans?

CLAIM: Scientific studies on drugs are reliable.

FACT: Drug companies have already sponsored almost all research on their drugs, but now they control how the research is done and whether it will by published. Much of this research is seriously flawed, presenting results that cause both doctors and consumers to believe that drugs are a lot better than they are and have fewer side effects than they do. What's more, only favorable results are published. Unfavorable results rarely see the light of day.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

*Ignore drug ads.

*Be skeptical about new drugs.

*Watch out for "me-too" drugs.

*Always ask for an equivalent generic or over-the-counter (OTC) drug.

*Beware of free samples.

*Don't be easily convinced that you have a new disease.

*Give your doctor permission not to prescribe.