Some British citizens who watched Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to be more shocked by American drug ads than by anything the royal couple said.
As documented by Ayesha Siddiqi on Twitter, many Britons were stunned that Americans are constantly subjected to advertisements for prescription drugs that include lengthy lists of incredibly hazardous side effects.
The United Kingdom, which for decades has enjoyed the socialized medicine provided by the country’s National Health Service, does not have ads for prescription drugs, as medicine in the country is strictly a not-for-profit affair.
We should not have adds for prescription drugs. The Brits have it right. And the ones which have side effects which include possible death as a side effect turn my stomach and make me wonder why a company would even put an add like that on national television.
Federal law requires drug ads to state major risks in ways that are clear, conspicuous, and neutral. It is called a Major Statement. Neuroscientists know the brain can effectively do only one thing at a time and that visual input overrides auditory. Watch the ads and you will see that the warnings are always stated in a dull monotone and accompanied by fast moving, constantly changing active and happy videos that effectively block both awareness and the normal fear response of the warning content. That is particularly true if you suffer from the condition and are understandably focused on the relief. If the FDA were not a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Pharma, they would crack down on what is clearly an illegal practice.
If big pharma and the rest of the corporate profit-maximizers didn’t own the government this advertising would be illegal as it is in every other country except NZ.