The Ethics of Marketing Prescription Drugs Essay

The Ethics of Marketing Prescription Drugs - Essay Example This "The Ethics of Marketing Prescription Drugs" essay outlines the effect that drug's advertisement has. Seeing these kinds of commercials not only convince the watcher that they are sick, but that they must get themselves medicated before they waste any more time in their suddenly felt misery. "The best contributions to such debates [regarding the extent of influence the media has over the public] suggest the complex, negotiated and often indirect nature of media influence, but of one thing there can be no doubt; the media do have an influence" Hesmondhalgh 3). By playing on the already weakened state of the viewer who is experiencing any of these symptoms, advertisements such as this are unethically misleading about the cause of their suffering as well as the instantaneous results they will experience once medicated. By encouraging people to talk to their doctor about taking this drug, the advertisers for Paxil give the viewer the impression that they are more informed about their illness and its potential treatments than their doctor. Rather than openly acknowledge the symptoms listed may be caused by a number of factors, this information is read through quickly, if at all, during the 30 second segment of disclaimers and identified risk factors associated with the drug. â€Å"The average person cannot adequately research all the scientific studies done to evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs. Patients, therefore, find themselves requesting prescription drugs based on advertisements with little knowledge of all the relevant medical information†. ... "The best contributions to such debates [regarding the extent of influence the media has over the public] suggest the complex, negotiated and often indirect nature of media influence, but of one thing there can be no doubt; the media do have an influence" Hesmondhalgh 3). By playing on the already weakened state of the viewer who is experiencing any of these symptoms, advertisements such as this are unethically misleading about the cause of their suffering as well as the instantaneous results they will experience once medicated. By encouraging people to talk to their doctor about taking this drug, the advertisers for Paxil give the viewer the impression that they are more informed about their illness and its potential treatments than their doctor. Rather than openly acknowledge the symptoms listed may be caused by a number of factors, this information is read through quickly, if at all, during the 30 second segment of disclaimers and identified risk factors associated with the drug. â€Å"The average person cannot adequately research all the scientific studies done to evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs. Patients, therefore, find themselves requesting prescription drugs based on advertisements with little knowledge of all the relevant medical information† (ProCon, 2010). At the same time, this advertisement wears away at the viewer’s trust in their medical professional, particularly when they see corresponding promotional material in the doctor’s office. â€Å"Patients seeing prescription drug ads can lose trust in doctors and the medical establishment when it seems that the medical community (including pharmaceutical companies) is more interested in taking