Posts Tagged ‘ Side Effects ’

Drug Advertising: “Side Effects May Include” MIA – Why?

March 3rd, 2011. By Hunter West

You know all those drug ads on TV, where new drugs for everything from erectile dysfunction to depression, to cholesterol are touted complete with a shopping list of side effects against a backdrop of shiny, happy people dancing in slow motion in the green grass of a city park, or cavorting across an idyllic beachfront? Case in point, Cialis ad at left.

All that damning voiceover information on side effects and adverse reactions can get lost in the visuals (which is probably the plan), but at least the requisite information is there. 

Why did that not happen with Tylenol, and the potential for acetaminophen toxicity? 

Why did that not happen with denture adhesive, and the potential for zinc poisoning? 

Most realize that most drugs have side effects. Fewer realize that all drugs have side effects at all. And the more intense the drug, the longer the list of adverse reactions. When a new drug designed to treat, say, the propensity to have to get up to pee several times in the night for aging Americans comes on the market, manufacturers know that in order to advertise the drug where their constituents are—parked on their sofas, watching television—they have to abide by advertising regulations and include the side effects. 

You may not recall every adverse reaction rattled off in such TV commercials. You may not remember even one. But you are left with the sense that this is serious stuff, and if you’re at Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Acetaminophen, Adverse Events, denture cream, Durg Marketing, Fixodent, Side Effects, tylenol
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