Anyone who watches TV knows pharmaceutical ads dominate commercial breaks and leave many wondering, “Well, I am just sitting on the couch eating a sandwich, and I don’t feel like getting up, does that make me depressed?”
Companies clearly want to appeal to consumers, in fact they spend an estimated $4 billion a year in marketing directed to consumers. But as we all know, advertisements always end with “Ask your doctor about…,” which puts doctors in the driver’s seat when it comes to really prescribing and making these companies money.
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This is why Big Pharma spends an estimated $24 billion a year marketing to healthcare providers, and in 2013, according to BBC, 9 out of 10 companies spent more on marketing than on research and development.
On Friday, John Oliver broke down the somewhat disturbing ways drug companies market to doctors on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight.” It can come down to things as simple as pharmaceutical reps providing free samples, free lunch (always a big hit, apparently), or even stroking a doctor’s ego by calling him or her a “thought leader.”
But the desire to make more money with certain drugs can lead to brands claiming that a product can be used for things it wasn’t designed for, like a bipolar medication being prescribed to treat depression in order to widen the scope of potential customers.
This can and has led to expensive settlements, but how can companies continue to market to doctors without going too far? And when doctors get involved and speak on behalf of certain drugs for compensation, that’s a whole other side of the issue.
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The Affordable Care Act has given the public the opportunity to see what perks are given to physicians with OpenPaymentsData.CMS.gov, and as Oliver advises, it is definitely worthwhile too look up your own doctor or one you’re planning to see.