Docs warn against medical device ads
You know I’m against direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising. Big Pharma’s play to turn the names of products for specific ailments into household words has always struck me as irresponsible, and I think it’s created an national fervor for self-diagnosis that will take years to stamp out.
But drug advertising isn’t all you should be wary of. Some doctors went before a Senate Aging Committee hearing to make the case that TV ads for medical devices (artificial knees, heart devices, and other medical implants) could pose an even bigger threat to consumer well being than ads for pharmaceuticals.
Unlike DTC drug ads, medical device ads don’t require what the advertising business calls the “fair balanced” statement – this is the federally mandated equal time split between the list of a drug’s benefits, and its potential hazards.
Kevin Bozic, a board director of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, contends that because device ads have no statement listing their potential complications, they “create unrealistic expectations among patients and lead to over utilization of inappropriate and costly, unproven technologies.”
Naturally, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, a trade association that represents major medical device manufacturers, maintains that device ads are “a powerful education tool” that let potential patients know about the treatment options available.
OK, so that’s a stretch. But some of the doctors involved in this debate who are arguing for restrictions on device advertising have also made some very questionable statements. For example, Buffalo University cardiologist Dr. William Boden, claimed that while it’s true that all drugs have side effects, taking a pill for insomnia or impotence is nowhere near as risky as having a medical device surgically implanted.
Huh?
Maybe Dr. Boden is unaware of this – and if he is, it’s disturbing, because the man is a cardiologist – but hasn’t the misuse of impotence drugs like Viagra led to heart attack fatalities? Don’t sleeping pills have the potential to kill you if you use them incorrectly? I’m not saying there shouldn’t be restrictions on device ads, but come on – when the device is implanted, at least a doctor is present! The same can certainly not be said for pharmaceuticals, where once the prescription is written, their use is solely in the hands of the patient.
Boden’s example was a recent ad by Johnson & Johnson for their Cypher stent, a tube used to keep surgically unblocked arteries open. He said the ad “crossed the line” since it touted the benefits of the stent without referencing that stent implant surgeries can sometimes lead to fatal complications.
Well, duh. All surgeries can sometimes lead to “fatal complications.”
Take my advice and don’t pay a bit of attention to ANY television ads for ANYTHING medical – whether it’s for pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, or whatever. This stuff is too serious and too complicated to understand in a short, 60-second sales pitch, and that’s all there is to it.
Half of U.S. doomed to life with knee arthritis
Maybe Big Pharma wants the medical device companies having restrictions on their ads because they’ve heard about this latest disturbing news: researchers claim that nearly HALF of all adults in the U.S. will develop excruciating arthritis of the knee at some point in their lives. Which, if true, will make the market for medical devices like orthopedic knees much larger and far more lucrative than ever before.
Knee arthritis is the leading cause of disability, and the rates of hospitalization for this condition (officially called “knee osteoarthritis”) are going through the roof. Statistically speaking, the growing obesity epidemic is at least partially to blame, since additional weight puts undue stress on knee joints. The study found that while 35 percent of average-weight people developed the condition, a whopping 65 percent of obese people suffered from the ailment.
The problem is getting worse. From 2000 to 2006, rates of knee replacement surgeries skyrocketed by 65 percent. Since this condition is degenerative, usually the only solution doctors can recommend is joint replacement surgery.
It’s just another reason to try to keep your weight in check as you get older. It’s the “use it or lose it” theory: you’ve got to stay active to keep fit. .
