According to a poll released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost 90 percent of people surveyed think the Food and Drug Administration should review prescription drug ads before they air – something it currently doesn’t do – to make sure they’re clear and accurate.
However, what really caught my eye was this ad for the new drug Movantik that came on during Sunday football relating to stomach indigestion and opioid use (also referred to as OIC or Opioid-Induced Constipation):
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/79jG/movantik-opioid-baggage
or this one, where we are “painting a different picture”: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/70Ux/astrazeneca-paint-a-different-picture
The fact that the little white opioid pill (and the entire commercial) was effectively a cartoon, or that the drug companies are trying to “paint a different picture” about how to view legal heroin, simply shows the lack of appreciation for what the treatment industry is trying to deal with (or the concerted effort to get more people hooked on drugs) as well as how far we have come in accepting the use of opioids in our daily lives. Our nation remains in denial how easy it is for people to misuse these drugs and get caught in the spiral that leads to addiction.
But again, as is common in this industry, greed is the driver. Money, money, money. We (collectively) remain, in most part, an unevolved species. But I maintain hope that the good people out there that are trying to make a difference in the lives of those with the disease of addiction can do so with the support of our nation, and can make a good living at that, rather than being characterized as being in bed with the devil.
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