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nullish_signal

I want an end to Pharmaceutical Ads in the USA

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In support, the headline from four days ago:

> 70% of drugs advertised on TV are of “low therapeutic value,” study finds

> Ads often tout new, pricey drugs that are not much better than old, cheaper ones.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/most-prescription-dr...

Also:

> The US is one of only two countries that allows direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertisements, such as TV commercials. (The other is New Zealand.)

Amazing how many of them don't even bother to advertise what the drug does. They just show happy people who say they use that brand of drug, often with zero context of what it actually does. It's mainly for brand affinity now.

I’ve been curious about this as well, turns out these ads are classified by the FDA as “reminder ads” and aren’t legally required to list any risks since they don’t list uses [0]. Presumably great for reinforcing positive associations around a drug once it’s already somewhat well known, but morally questionable at best.

[0] - https://www.fda.gov/drugs/prescription-drug-advertising/basi...

I spend $900 a month on an anti-seizure drug. At least, until I hit my $6,500 deductible.

The company that makes it is publicly traded so I looked up their financials. The drug is a generic and the patent expired decades ago. Very little is spent on “R&D”. Almost all of their money goes to “advertising”.

Does https://costplusdrugs.com have your medication?

Not yet. I signed up for their alerts though and they’re adding new ones pretty quickly.

Did you happen to find if the same drug is available as a generic?

I use a daily medication. Every time I got to get t he script filled I get asked if I want the brand name or the generic. There is a two or three times price difference, why would I ever get the brand name?

Oh yeah, I definitely checked. There are two companies that make it. Both are priced exactly the same though.

Yeah. This is regulatory arbitrage. It costs a lot to get certified to produce a medication (which is necessary, or else some company will cut corners and produce a contaminated drug). For drugs with small patient populations, it doesn't make sense to pay for that certification and then sell it cheaply. So the drug ends up being made by only a few manufacturers and the price stays high even though it's a generic. I don't know what a better solution is.

I’d buy that argument if their balance sheet didn’t show the vast majority of their budget going to advertising and if companies like CostPlusDrugs weren’t able to do it for pennies.

What company are you talking about? What drug? If CostPlusDrugs can do it for pennies, why not buy from them?

"Breaking news: thousands rejoice as greedy big pharma exec serves lengthy prison sentence."

"Now a word from our sponsor: Crapitab - ask your doctor for a reason to take it! (Warning: stop taking Crapitab immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms, including but not limited to: insomnia, rash, multiple organ failure, breathing cessation, prolonged unconsciousness, or death.)"

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