The New York Times piece "Showdown Looms in Congress over Drug
Advertising on TV" raises a number of important questions about
direct-to-consumer (or DTC) drug advertising by America's
pharmaceutical industry. These ads have been sharply criticized by
watchdog groups and congressional advocates who have argued that these
ads often mislead consumers about the risks and benefits of certain
drugs. Such questions about DTC drug advertising became especially
salient after Vioxx--Merck's heavily marketed painkiller
medication--was found to dramatically increase the risk of stroke and
heart attacks in a number of patients.
This piece brings to light a number of ways in which the media is
changing the face of America's pharmaceutical industry. No longer are
doctors the sole providers of information about medical treatments;
whereas in the past patients would come to a doctor's office so that
the doctor could diagnose their symptoms and prescribe treatments,
today patients often come to doctors' offices knowing exactly what
script they want written out by the end of their appointment. In this
sense, new media forms like DTC drug advertising empower patients by
providing them with information they previously could only get from
their doctors. This power can prove dangerous, especially when
unchecked advertising by pharmaceutical companies misleads patients
about the dangers of certain drugs.
At the same time, new media forms do have the potential to empower
patients in a number of positive ways. Patients can now check
advertisers' claims against a wealth of information available online
from sources like WebMD, and they can discuss their experiences with
different treatments in a range of blogs and self-help forums.
The success of DTC advertising by pharmaceutical companies also says
something about the power of the convergence of different media forms.
Patients can now watch an Ambien commercial on TV, go online and take
a quiz confirming that they do indeed have insomnia, and then go to
the doctor's office and receive a free Ambien sample along with
promotional materials provided to their doctor by the Ambien drug
"representative" (read: salesperson).
Bio: I'm a senior International Relations concentrator, focusing on
political economy of development. Ever since I saw this course in the
course catalog, I've wanted to take it. In IR135, I found our
discussion of the intersection between the media and international
politics fascinating, and I only left wanting more. I'm an avid
reader of online news and blogs like mediamatters; my RSS reader is
pretty much always running on my computer desktop. I'm especially
interested in Middle Eastern politics; I spent Spring 2006 studying
abroad in Israel, a country with a surprisingly open and vibrant news
media. Although I don't have any experience in video production, I'm
excited and willing to learn.