Saturday 30 August 2008
The Wall Street Journal (Glaxo’s HIV-Drug Ads Draw Critics) and Wall Street Journal Health Blog (Are Ads for HIV Drugs Too Scary?) wrote earlier this week about consumer-directed advertising for HIV drugs from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). A GSK ad shows a picture of shark-infested waters and tells patients, “Don’t take a chance –stick with the HIV medicine that’s working for you.” Another GSK ad asks, “Will the HIV medicine make my skin or eyes turn yellow?” In my favorite, a BMS ad shows a toilet with a huge stack of magazines on the back of it. “Living with HIV doesn’t mean you have to live here,” it says, and urges patients to check with their doctors to see if they can take something that is less likely to cause disarrhea.
Some patient advocates and researchers complain that the ads are too frightening or will interfere with the doctor/patient relationship by making patients less receptive to their physicians’ advice to switch medications. I know the experts quoted in the story and am sympathetic to their points. They want patients to receive the most appropriate, evidence-based treatment, and not have care influenced by commercial interests.