My pediatrician was telling me that even kids are brainwashed by the ads. They actually ask for medication by name! And back when Prilosec was prescription only -- when she prescribed a generic for, say, a stomach problem, they often asked "Why can't I have the Purple Pill?" as the drug was referred to in ads.
Generic Drugs benefits from the trend
Value Hiker
4/17/2012 11:46:03 AM
Generic drug manufacturers will benefit enormously from this patent trend. One of the best example is Teva. Even its stock is close to 52 weeks high, the price can still go further, considering Teva is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the World.
Re: Probaly a goodthing
AskAsa
4/17/2012 11:36:48 AM
I saw that one as well.
Even the ones with less confusing disclaimers have a way of mixing odd symbolism.
The man in the desert whose car overheats. It's clear he's a Viagra dude. He lets the car coast into a gas station and then calmly buys a bottle of water and pours it into the steaming radiator. All of this is to show the guy running out of power but knowing how to fix it.
Problem is even room temperature water poured into an overheated radiator in his vintage car will crack the engine block and ruin the car. Something Viagra dude might want to think about.
For even stranger visuals I'm still trying to figure out what the cialis couple is doing in seperate bathtubs out in the wilderness.
Back to the drug companies - it seems they are investing plenty of money in gibberish. But the return must be enormous because the ads keep coming.
I was watching one the other night and shocked by the disclaimer "some patients may experience suicidal thoughts." Oh great!
chicken or egg
AskAsa
4/17/2012 11:00:37 AM
I've often wondered about the creative sequence with some of these drugs.
Were they working on a cure for restless leg syndrome? Or was restless leg part of a business remedy for the time and expense that went into developing a drug intended for some other use?
The drug Wellbutrin was introduced as a treatment for ADD and depression.
The same formula was later released as Zyban - a smoking cessation aid.
This is certainly good busines - but I wonder how many syndrome's consumers need to have foisted upon them.
Re: Probaly a goodthing
tokyogai
4/17/2012 10:18:43 AM
That is true, but how many people really have restless leg syndrome? How many drugs have been sold?
Re: Probaly a goodthing
AskAsa
4/17/2012 10:12:44 AM
The ad budgets may be huge but the ads are often incomprehensible. How many times have you watched a commercial for some drug with video of contented people aimlessly walking while a breathless announcer speeds through a legal disclaimer that is actually longer than the commercial message itself?
I had always thought that the work around for patent limits was for drug makers to made slight changes to the drug and apply for new patents, then they pull the old version off the market. does this not happen?
Probaly a goodthing
tokyogai
4/17/2012 9:21:18 AM
Given how much of the budget the big Pharma companies use for advertising and the relatively high cost charged in the US vs other countires, it is probably good to have a limited term of exclusivity.I could be talked into a longer term if I saw a little bit better behaviour on the partt of the drug companies.
Medco is already making cost prohibitive to get branded medications. In the past week, I have reluctantly switched two maintenance medications that members of my family use from brand to generic versions, based on annual cost differences of more than $800 each.
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