Okay, Halloween has passed, but this is truly scary: a kiddie movie with a DRUG COMPANY tie-in! Eeeek!According to the New York Times: "A new animated movie about a tap-dancing penguin is venturing beyond the Antarctic into uncharted territory — a promotional tie-in to pharmaceuticals. Characters from “Happy Feet” appear in an extensive advertising campaign, including network and cable commercials, full-page magazine ads and online banner ads, for Roche, promoting its Web site www.flufacts.com...
...As far as I know, this is the first time a pharmaceutical company has partnered with the entertainment industry,” said Rob Donnell, the president and founder of Brand Arc, the company that helped bring together Roche and Warner Brothers, the film’s distributor."
I'm surprised they're not pushing that drug for restless leg "syndrome." Or maybe they haven't thought of it, yet!
More. here
8 comments:
This is the kicker...Zyprexa is only FDA approved for schizophrenia (.5-1% of pop) and some bipolar (2% pop) and then an even smaller percentage of theses two groups.
So how the heck does Zyprexa get to be the 7th largest drug sale in the world?
Eli Lilly is in deep trouble for using their drug reps to 'encourage' doctors to write zyprexa for non-FDA approved 'off label' uses.
The drug causes increased diabetes risk,and medicare picks up all the expensive fallout.There are now 7 states (and counting) going after Lilly for fraud and restitution.
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Daniel Haszard
You are hilarious - "restless feet" syndrome - is that not freakin ridiculous? I love it.
That is frightening about Zyprexa. Working with people who are suffering from addiction issues, I cannot tell you how many I see coming in on meds - some of them having just been prescribed by detoxes!! These are clinicians who these individuals spend maybe 3-6 days getting to know... and then they prescribe a battery of medications - it is disconcerting.
The culture of ADD, ADHD, SADS, OCD, restless limbs, and shopaholics, et al has become the guinea pigs geneating revenue for big pharma. It will be interesting to see how many of these people fare fifteen years down the road. Don't believe the hype!!
You know, I think we're the only industrialized (and maybe un-industrialized) country that allows drug companies to market directly to the consumer...and to the doctor, as Daniel has mentioned.
Yeah, it makes me cringe every time I visit a doctor and see the frumpy, overly friendly salesfolk stroll in with their wheeled suicases...they are modern day snake oil salesman, only far more dangerous, I think. I don't mean to be so judgmental in my stereotyping, but I always feel like these corporate "go-getters" are depressing. They usually look somewhat unhealthy, probably from driving around all day consuming Dunkin Donuts and putting the 'game face' on to peddle their wares. There is something insidious about this as a career choice.
Kim,
Even worse, a friend of mine WAS a drug rep for Merck--the stories she told me were hairraising. Plus, "back then" they hired people who were bio and chem majors--now it's more determined on if they're good sales people, so they pick the frat president or whatever. eeeeeeek! she did say you can make lots o' $.
Yeah, I am sure you make a decent wage, but the karmic payback for pushing the poision must suck.
WOW!!! For a website thats green and friendly some of you do have some strong views of those "horrifying drug reps" and quite frankly you are judging without knowing. I am a Rep... and like any business there are snakes but guess what!? its in every industry!! We are all not the devil, you know...
I'm very liberal, believe in universal health care and also know if there are not more people like me in this biz it will be hopeless, so I try to do my part. You hypocrites who think we are all the same sit in those offices saying nasty things to me like I don't exist or less than human b/c of my job. But you know what, we need medicine and most people can use the free samples and all you bashers are usually the first to take 'em. so think twice before you bash the way someone makes a living...we're not all bad!!!!!
Thanks for the comment--we welcome "complicating" points of view--that's what we're all about!
cheers,
marie
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