So, what if we banned Direct to Consumer Advertising in the US?

[Paragon Fury]

So, recently I found out that quite a few of our allies and friends have never experienced having to watch those Viagra ads, or the "We'll cure your depression, but you're gonna bleed out the anus!" pills.

Because your countries ban Direct to Consumer Advertising (DCTA), meaning companies aren't even allowed to attempt that kind of crap, because you (or your governments) believe that the doctors are the experts not the random Joe/Jane.

So what if the US suddenly had a stroke of common sense and intelligence and did the same thing? No more pill ads. No more having to listen to the absurdly long list of side effects like "Anal discharge" and "may cause death" before Youtube videos.

 

[tippy2k2]

I think it would be a good idea but I'm not sure how much it would actually matter.

Maybe I'm the only smart one and everyone else is dumb but I have never and would never see a commercial for a drug and think to myself "I need that!". I've been going to my doctor for a decade at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take his word over a 30 second commercial whose goal is to sell me something...

Then again, I avoid taking any drugs period if at all possible so maybe I am the weird one...

 

[Something Amyss]

Then again, I avoid taking any drugs period if at all possible so maybe I am the weird one...

I'm not sure "the weird one" is right, but it's pretty common for people to go off what the guy on TV says.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I think it would be a good idea but I'm not sure how much it would actually matter.

Maybe I'm the only smart one and everyone else is dumb but I have never and would never see a commercial for a drug and think to myself "I need that!". I've been going to my doctor for a decade at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take his word over a 30 second commercial whose goal is to sell me something...

Then again, I avoid taking any drugs period if at all possible so maybe I am the weird one...

I'm pretty much the same. I rarely even go to the doctor unless I feel it's absolutely necessary. Hell, I almost never even take so much as Tylenol/Advil/aspirin. And most of the time, I'm not even sure how these companies actually believe advertising all of their possible side effects actually help them sell their pills. It's like "we'll cure your minor medical problem that you've been dealing with just fine without our pill . . . but you might die a horribly painful death or suffer other severely crippling side effects." I mean, who hears that and thinks "I should talk to my doctor about getting some of that!"? I may have a pretty low opinion of the human race, but even I find it hard to believe that the more likely scenario is that these people see these commercials and then their doctor recommends them these pills and they're like "wait, doesn't that cause [insert horrible side effect here]? Isn't there something else we can do? I'd rather not have to wear adult diapers the rest of my life due to uncontrollable explosive diarrhea while praying I survive and successfully recover from the stroke it causes..."

Quoting the side effects is part of their legal disclaimer, basically it makes it harder to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible for said side effects. That's also why medications generally come with info packs that detail all of the possible side effects and risks for missing dosages.

On Topic: If they banned Direct to Consumer Advertising, it would be an amazing achievement, because they'd have to wad through a sea of lobbyists attempting to block such legislation. So they'd almost certainly fail, but if they did succeed, then lobbyists would eventually get the ban over turned. At any rate, as nice as it would be to not see medication advertisements, Doctors are still the best sales people for drugs to the consumer. On top of that, drug companies work very hard to pressure Doctors into prescribing the "latest and greatest" drugs, even if the patient doesn't strictly need the drug. Also they spend a lot flooding Doctor's offices with promotional drug branded goods like pens, clocks, and memo pads just to name a few.

 

[Rednog]

I think the bigger problem is to pull doctors out of the pharmaceutical industry's pocket.
I remember a while back where John Oliver talked about how the pharmaceutical industry basically goes out and gives "gifts" to try and get doctors to write prescriptions for their brands. Which leads to doctors not only over prescribing with unnecessary medications,but also screwing over the patient with overly expensive drugs.
That to me seems like a bigger issue than the slew of drugs advertised on tv.

 

[RandV80]

I think it would be a good idea but I'm not sure how much it would actually matter.

Maybe I'm the only smart one and everyone else is dumb but I have never and would never see a commercial for a drug and think to myself "I need that!". I've been going to my doctor for a decade at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take his word over a 30 second commercial whose goal is to sell me something...

Then again, I avoid taking any drugs period if at all possible so maybe I am the weird one...

No disrespect meant but some things aren't about you. They spend millions on these advertisements because they believe it has the desired effect, and while you and many others may just tune it out the cost of the advertising is going to be rolled up into the cost of the drugs and that does effect everyone. Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure when the US flipped the switch on for these commercials there was a significant increase in drug costs.

Personally I'm Canadian and we don't allow those commercials here, but since we get lots of American TV some channels will have them anyway. There was some discussion here a few years ago about whether to allow it, or maybe it was an unsuccessful lobbying attempt. But to break down the battle field lines Advertisers and drug manufactures were shouting YES while doctors and consumer watch groups shouted NO. Feel free to interpret that how you will.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I watched american TV a couple of times. Your advert breaks make want to do something else. As well as their frequency, their length was as long or longer than the content I was trying to view, meaning it would take an hour to watch 30 minutes of show. And I saw one or two of those medicine ads. I can't believe they're allowed. But it doesn't matter...all they need to do is sell enough of their crap to turn a buck before the next wonder pill. I actually saw one for some sort of "diet pill" that guaranteed weight loss in 28 days or some other absurd claim, with listed side effects like organ failure, paralysis and death.

Your nation's free market at all costs means it's unlikely to change, but you can at least hope that you and yours are taught to either avoid such products outright, or just watch your TV on-demand and ad-free.

 

[tippy2k2]

I think it would be a good idea but I'm not sure how much it would actually matter.

Maybe I'm the only smart one and everyone else is dumb but I have never and would never see a commercial for a drug and think to myself "I need that!". I've been going to my doctor for a decade at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take his word over a 30 second commercial whose goal is to sell me something...

Then again, I avoid taking any drugs period if at all possible so maybe I am the weird one...

No disrespect meant but some things aren't about you. They spend millions on these advertisements because they believe it has the desired effect, and while you and many others may just tune it out the cost of the advertising is going to be rolled up into the cost of the drugs and that does effect everyone. Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure when the US flipped the switch on for these commercials there was a significant increase in drug costs.

That's fair. I suppose for me, I wouldn't stand in the way of it happening but I'm not going to be down at City Hall fighting for it either. One could say that's short sighted and/or selfish of me but it just doesn't affect me enough to care about it..

As to your claim, it looks like it is mostly right based on this random website I looked up on...

http://prescriptiondrugs.procon.org/ (Con #7)

However, it sounds more like it's the increased cost because someone who sees a commercial for a name brand drug will demand that name brand drug rather than the much cheaper but non-advertised generic brand.

 

[Kotaro]

I don't get people who listen to these drug ads to begin with. I tend to just listen to the doctor's recommendations, and I'll usually try to get the generic version of any given thing anyway, since the overall effect is pretty much the same and it's significantly cheaper.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

In regards to medication, this should have never happened in the first place. The cost of the ads are not tacked on to the medications they are promoting, no they add it on to essential medications like heart and cancer medication that people will pay for regardless because they do not wish to die. The cost of the ads, the luxury homes they remodel for every Physician that visits to write endorsements for them, the Millions spent in catering and attempting to bribe the Doctor's hand are all added to the price of necessary medication. Not only should patients not be coming into their physicians office expecting medication, Doctors should not be benefiting for choosing one medication over another. These ads result in people not being able to afford their medications, thus not taking them as they should resulting in further illness or even deaths.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Also they spend a lot flooding Doctor's offices with promotional drug branded goods like pens, clocks, and memo pads just to name a few.

Hell, they'll even send doctors pre-printed prescription blanks with the drug name right on 'em. And little checkboxes for strength and dosage so the doctor doesn't even have to write that in.

 

[LostCrusader]

I watched american TV a couple of times. Your advert breaks make want to do something else. As well as their frequency, their length was as long or longer than the content I was trying to view, meaning it would take an hour to watch 30 minutes of show. And I saw one or two of those medicine ads. I can't believe they're allowed. But it doesn't matter...all they need to do is sell enough of their crap to turn a buck before the next wonder pill. I actually saw one for some sort of "diet pill" that guaranteed weight loss in 28 days or some other absurd claim, with listed side effects like organ failure, paralysis and death.

Your nation's free market at all costs means it's unlikely to change, but you can at least hope that you and yours are taught to either avoid such products outright, or just watch your TV on-demand and ad-free.

Well this may be a bit unrelated, but it seems like cable providers have stopped having ad-free on-demand shows. Mine still sticks in commercial breaks and blocks fast forwarding for any recent shows.

OT: I would love it if those kinds of ads were cut, but I don't see it actually happening. For most people it just a slight nuisance that everyone makes fun of. The people I suspect are actually affected by the ads are hypochondriacs that see the commercials and think they need everything.

 

[Shraggler]

One of the main reasons I don't watch TV is because of commercials. They're too annoying and I'm just not buying anything they're selling.

They have a vested interest into getting as many people to purchase their products as possible, regardless of the reason for doing so. It's all about numbers. Recoup and surpass the cost of developing, creating and marketing the product.

I'm surprised more people aren't as annoyed and dismissive as I am. I've hated commercials since I was a kid. The precious hour or two of TV time I had immediately after school barely netted two shows. I haven't sat down to really watch TV in a long while. Sports "events" are some of the worst offenders. American football is atrocious at game versus commercial parity. And yet, I still know people in their twenties that watch cable TV.

Thank goodness for the Internet. As long as it stays open, I'm hoping TV will eventually eat shit and have to come back groveling.

 

[Yopaz]

I don't get people who listen to these drug ads to begin with. I tend to just listen to the doctor's recommendations, and I'll usually try to get the generic version of any given thing anyway, since the overall effect is pretty much the same and it's significantly cheaper.

Well, this is closely related to the placebo effect. People will often actually genuinely feel better after taking a brand name pill than they will after taking a generic pill. Anxiety is treated with yellow pills. Depression is treated with blue pills. Both pills contain the same drug, but the colour does have an effect in how people feel afterwards. The news of a new pill coming to the market which is an improved version of an existing one has actually shown to reduce the efficiency of the old one in treatment of gastric ulcers. I suspect advertising may contribute in a similar fashion.

I think the bigger problem is to pull doctors out of the pharmaceutical industry's pocket.
I remember a while back where John Oliver talked about how the pharmaceutical industry basically goes out and gives "gifts" to try and get doctors to write prescriptions for their brands. Which leads to doctors not only over prescribing with unnecessary medications,but also screwing over the patient with overly expensive drugs.
That to me seems like a bigger issue than the slew of drugs advertised on tv.

If you had blood cholesterol of 6.5 mM 20 years ago doctors would prescribe statins. These days doctors say you have a slightly elevated blood cholesterol, but not to worry as long as you eat healthy. What changed? Doctors are no longer allowed to accept gifts or compensations from pharmaceutical companies. Prescriptions are also unspecific so you get to choose which brand you want when you go to the pharmacy. So yeah, I only see good coming from preventing doctors from being enticed into prescribing medicines. The patient's health should always be the concern.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Well this may be a bit unrelated, but it seems like cable providers have stopped having ad-free on-demand shows. Mine still sticks in commercial breaks and blocks fast forwarding for any recent shows.

What about some sort of Tivo/PVR? Your shows are recorded to the local hard drive for you to watch at your convenience.

OT: I would love it if those kinds of ads were cut, but I don't see it actually happening. For most people it just a slight nuisance that everyone makes fun of. The people I suspect are actually affected by the ads are hypochondriacs that see the commercials and think they need everything.

It's not really hypochondriacs, but it is trying to appeal to those who want fast results without the effort. What if I promised you guaranteed weight loss, in a month, without needing to change your diet, lifestyle or do exercise? Just take a pill. What if I offered you the muscle build you've always wanted without needing to work out? Just take a pill. Increase your mental alertness, perform better in school/office, unlock your potential? Here's a pill. Get rid of wrinkles, grey hair, hair loss, increase your heights, penile length, get a tan, you name it, there's a pill for it.

I've often quipped how convenient it would be to have all necessary nutrition in a pill, without the hassle of preparing and eating a meal. Those ads take a simple premise "What if X could be had instantly and without time or effort?" and market them as medical wonders for those who haven't yet learned that things that sound too good to be true, are.

 

[sageoftruth]

One of the main reasons I don't watch TV is because of commercials. They're too annoying and I'm just not buying anything they're selling.

They have a vested interest into getting as many people to purchase their products as possible, regardless of the reason for doing so. It's all about numbers. Recoup and surpass the cost of developing, creating and marketing the product.

I'm surprised more people aren't as annoyed and dismissive as I am. I've hated commercials since I was a kid. The precious hour or two of TV time I had immediately after school barely netted two shows. I haven't sat down to really watch TV in a long while. Sports "events" are some of the worst offenders. American football is atrocious at game versus commercial parity. And yet, I still know people in their twenties that watch cable TV.

Thank goodness for the Internet. As long as it stays open, I'm hoping TV will eventually eat shit and have to come back groveling.

Same here. I feel kind of like I've been spoiled by my commercial-free hobbies. I've noticed there's a fairly common pitch fluctuation in the voices of speakers in commercials and now I can't seem to listen to it for more than a few seconds without muting it or reaching for my headphones.

 

[9tailedflame]

If that happened, wouldn't the internet die? The internet is largely held up on ad money, isn't it? And even that's a precarious balance. I feel like if you banned the advertising, most websites would just shut right down, or resort to phishing tactics to stay afloat. Is there something i'm missing here?