by Pedro Miranda

Created on: July 15, 2010

Drug commercials targeted to the lay population, known in the health care field as “Direct to consumer advertising” as opposed to the “Marketing to physicians” approach are the drug companies response to the efforts on behalf of the hospital and physician organizations to clean up their relations to the industry and avoid, not just the potential conflict of interest, but even the appearance of a potential conflict.

The problem was that a large proportion of the $12 billion budget that the pharmaceutical industry targeted for physician advertising 1 was switched to direct to consumer ads. Those annoying ads for incontinence drugs (Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now) or, if you watch the Golf channel, ED medications.

I mean, drug companies have only 15 or 20 years from the first application for approval of a new drug to recoup the costs of developing it (which run into multimillions of dollars) make a profit, and also pay for the costs of developing drugs that don’t make it into the pharmacy. After the drug is approved, which may take 5 or more years; they may only have ten years left to profit from it, until generics become available. In addition, there are the “me too” drugs. If for instance a new antibiotic comes out (Cipro comes to mind) other rival companies look at the new compound and immediately begin testing similar compounds, skipping over several years of research. Within three years or so of Cipro’s approval, at least three other antibiotics in the same class were approved (Floxin, Levoquin and a third that has been subsequently withdrawn)

But these ads do not contribute to drug addiction.

Why? Simple. Sit at the TV and watch the ads. They are drugs for erectile dysfunction (especially if you watch the Golf channel) urinary incontinence, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis.

All of these are drugs that have zero potential for abuse. The sleeping pills advertised (Ambien and Lunesta) also have very limited abuse potential.

Most of the drugs of abuse are painkillers, like Percocet, or sedatives like Valium. These drugs are not advertised on TV or magazines targeted to the general public. The only drug that may be used as a painkiller that made its way into TV is Lyrica, advertised for fibromyalgia. Again it has no potential for abuse.

That’s not to say that Lyrica (pregabalin) is not overprescribed; it is, as drug representatives try to get physicians to switch their patients from the similar drug Neurontin (gabapentin) to the newer, more expensive one. But no, there is no commonly abused drug advertised on TV.

The ads contribute to the bloated expense of prescription drugs, no doubt, but not to addiction.

Most drugs of abuse are actually quite cheap. Percocet, Oxycodone, Dilaudid, are very cheap medicines, costing only pennies per dose if bought at a regular pharmacy.

Their street value, is something else.

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