I’m going to post in this blog material I will consider for the book. No, I’m not going to cut and paste text from sources I like. I’m going to comment about what I learn about pills and other potions in the prescription drug industry. My book will be based on my commentary as well as other information that will come to me. I’ll try to be generous with links so you can look things up yourself.

If you have anything to contribute to this book–personal experiences, questions, testimonials, please send them to me with your name and mailing address by e-mail.

So here we go. Are you ready?

Everybody knows that pills are poison. We swallow them because we hope they’ll kill germs that are making us sick or reverse bad things that are happening in our bodies. But where do pills come from? How do the manufacturers know they’re safe and effective? Or do they? We hear reports of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson and other major drug manufactuers engaged in fierce battles, not fighting against disease but fighting with each other in hopes of earning greater profits.

Is there anything so wrong with that? Should money to save lives be subject to greater scrutiny than money with other purposes? If so, why? Isn’t drug making just a business, like the Bank of America or Chrysler Corporation?

That’s all I’m going to say today. Next time I’m going to look for the latest stir in the pot of medications and share what I find and the questions that are raised.

And who am I?

I’m Joyce Griffith, MBA, and that’s all I’m going to tell you for now.

Be healthy! Be wise! Be careful!

The company’s McNeil production plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, has been shut down with no definite timeline for re-opening it. This follows an April, 2010, FDA inspection that found problems such as “bacterial contamination of ingredients, filthy equipment and the potential for medicines to be too potent.”

Another serious charge was levied on the company’s Ortho McNeil manufacturing plant. A fine of $6.14 million was levied by the FDA in May of this year on charges that  Ortho McNeail was marketing the Topomax epilepsy drug for psychiatric purposes. The FDA has never approved of Topomax for treating any psychiatric disorders. An affiliate company, Ortho-McNeil-Jansen Pharmeuticals, will pay $75.3 million to cover the cost of claims by members of the public, as allowed by the False Claims Act.

Earlier this year 70 percent of Johnson & Johnson’s over-the-counter children medicines were recalled, with roughly 70 percent of the market for such products pulled from store shelves, including a nationwide recall of Children’s Tylenol. Altogether, more than 40 varieties of liquid medicines, including pain drug Motrin, and allergy medicines Benadryl and Zyrtec, were recalled. The recall is undoubtedly the largest in U.S. history for children’s medication.

These reports are just a few of the many charges of sloppy workmanship aimed at Johnson & Johnson in recent months. While the problems are highly unlikely to result in any physical harm to anyone, experts agree that the public relations impact is huge.

The company seems to be taking the jolts in stride. In a June 4 press release, Johnson & Johnson announced that its ”pharmaceutical businesses generated $24.6 billion in sales last year, 39 percent of the company’s total revenue, and ranks as the world’s seventh largest pharmaceutical company and fourth largest biotech company.”

Submitted compliments of Griffith Publishing

Spice products made with Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP). Reason: potential Salmonella contamination.

Seasoning salts manufactured by Dutch Valley Foods. Reason: potential Salmonella contamination.

Crab snack and seasoning manufactured by Watkins. Reason: potential Salmonella contamination.

Austinuts honey and mustard pretzel. Reason: potential Salmonella contamination.

Zatarain’s Original Dirty Rice, by McCormick. Reason: incomplete ingredient statement on the label.

Mama Lycho Queso Duroblando cheese, by Gotera Inc. Reason: possible contamination with Staph aureus.

Orange drink in bulk quantities, by Juice Pac. Reason: label doesn’t list Yellow 5 as an ingredient.

Sea Delight tuna steaks. Reason: elevated histamine levels.

Beef and garlic seasonings by Givaudan. Reason: Salmonella found in production facility.

39 various flavorings by Givaudan. Reason: Risk of Salmonella.

Seasoned southern-style country cabage by Hirzel Canning Company, Ohio. Reason: Swollen cans of lot 6339X1GCCH were found on many pallets while loading a truck for shipment. Testing by an outside lab found Facultative Bacillus sp. (Terminal spores) in the swollen cans and heat stable spore-forming Bacillus species in a sample of can cooling water that was consistent with the organism found in the can.

Turkey/Swiss cheese hoagie sandwiches, by SK Food Group. Reason: Possible contamination by salmonella, later determined to be contamination by a  non-disease causing e.coli organism.

Vericose vein support, liquid form, by Wiseway Herbals. Reason: Contaminated with soap.

Semprex, by UCB Manufacturing. Reason: Impurities and degredation.

Concentrated Tylenol and Motrin, infant drops in a variety of products, by McNeil. Reason: Incorrect or missing lot numbers on label.

Red blood cells, by the American Red Cross. Reason: some blood products were not tested for quality control but were distributed.

Blood plasma, by CSL Plasma Inc. Reason: undocumented physical examination.

Fresh frozen plasma, by American Red Cross (Charlotte, NC). Reason: Blood products were accepted from a donor without adequate determination of donor suitability.

Red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, American Red Cross (Omaha, NB) Reason: Blood products were accepted from a donor without adequate determination of donor suitability. 

Red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, American Red Cross (Columbus, OH). Reason: Blood product accepted from a donor who tested negative for the FYB antigen but later tested positive.

Red blood cells, leukocytes reduced, American Red Cross (Cincinnati, OH). Reason: Blood product accepted from a donor who reported traveling to an area with endemic malaria.

Plasma, recalled by Talecris Plasma Resources because the donor  supplied unreliable information regarding application of tattoos.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Inc., Gainesville, FL. Reason: platelet count below the specified minimum requirement.

Plasma, by DCI Biologicals Texarkana LLC, Gallup, NM. Reason: Collected from a donor who provided unreliable information regarding application of tattoos and piercings.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Hoxworth Blood Center University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. Reason: distribution or product from a donor who reported travel to a malarial endemic area.

Plasma, by PlasmaCare Inc., Columbus, OH. Blood products from a donor whose physical exam was incomplete.

Source Plasma, DCI Biologicals Texarkana LLC, Texarkana, AR. Reason: Blood products from a donor with high risk behavior.

Plasma, Blood Centers of the Pacific – Irwin Center, San Francisco, CA. Blood productsfrom a donor with a history of hepatitis A.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Center, Inc., Gainesville, GA. blood product, with a low platelet count.

Red Blood Cells, by Blood Bank Of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI. Reason: Collected from a donor who traveled to an area considered endemic for malaria.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Mid-South Regional Blood Center, Memphis, TN. Reason: collected from a donor who traveled to an area considered endemic for malaria.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by ARC Blood Services, New England Region, Dedham, MA. Reason: Distributed product exceeded the acceptable limit for white blood cell count.

Red Blood Cells, by Providence Health System Southern California, Burbank, CA. Reason: Blood product from a donor who was previously deferred for high risk behavior.

Plasma, by CSL Plasma, Racine, WI. Reason: Physical examination of donor was undocumented.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Blood Centers of the Pacific – North Bay Center, Fairfield, CA. Reason: Collected from a donor who had traveled to a malarial endemic area.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Carter BloodCare, Bedford, TX. Reason: Donor suitability not adequately determined.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by Blood Centers of the Pacific – Irwin Center, San Francisco, CA. Reason: Donor had traveled to a malarial endemic area.

Source Plasma, by Biomat USA, Inc., South Bend, IN. Reason: Donor at risk for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).

Source Plasma, by ZLB Plasma Services, San Antonio, TX. Reason: Donor did not receive a required annual physical.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Central Kentucky Blood Center Inc., Lexington, KY. Reason: Donor had traveled to an area considered endemic for malaria.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by The Blood Alliance, Inc., Jacksonville, FL. Reason: Donor had traveled to an area considered endemic for malaria.

Source Plasma, by BioLife Plasma Services, L.P., Missoula, MT. Donor did not receive a required annual physical.

Source Plasma, by BioLife Plasma Services, L.P., Grand Forks, ND. Donor did not receive a required annual physical.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Mississippi Valley Reg. Bld. Center, Davenport, IA. Reason: Donor travel to an area considered endemic for malaria.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by Mississippi Valley Regional Building Center, Davenport, IA. Reason: Blood products did not meet acceptable specifications.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by Memorial Blood Centers, Saint Paul, MN. Reason: Blood products had an unacceptable white blood cell count.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by American Red Cross Blood Services, Central Ohio Region, Columbus, OH. Reason: Blood products were not quarantined after receiving information concerning an illness following donation.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by American Red Cross Blood Services, Central Ohio Region, Columbus, OH. Reason: Donor suitability not adequately determined.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by American Red Cross Blood Services, Birmingham, AL. Reason: Donor suitability not adequately determined.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by American National Red Cross Mid Atlantic Region, Norfolk, VA. Reason: Donor suitability not adequately determined.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Blood Bank Of The Redwoods, Santa Rosa, CA. Reason: Donor was previously refused for testing positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, San Antonio, TX. Reason: Donor taking the medication finasteride.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Inc., Dunwoody, GA. Reason: Platelets were not prepared properly, were split into three storage bags instead of two.

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Inc., Huntsville, AL. Reason: Low platelet count in distributed product. (Three recalls from the same blood center.)

Fenwal PL 2410 Storage Container, by Fenwal Inc., Lake Zurich, IL. Reason: Associated with reports of leaks on the heat seals at the end of the tubing leads.

Human bone, by Allosource, Centennial, CO. Reason: Presence of positive pre-processing cultures for group D Enterococcus.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Inc., Gainesville, FL. Reason: not manufactured in accordance to the manufacturer’s instructions .

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Mobile, AL. Reason: blood product with a low platelet count. (2 cases)

Platelets Pheresis Leukocytes Reduced, by The American National Red Cross – North Central Region, Saint Paul, MN. Reason: donor suitability not adequately determined.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by American National Red Cross, Greater Ozark-Arkansas Region, Little Rock, AR/ Reason: donor suitability not adequately determined.

Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Swiftwater, PA. Reason: Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, with antigen content lower than the specification limit, 960,295 doses distributed.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Tri-Counties Blood Bank dba UBS- Central Coast, Santa Barbara, CA. Reason: Labels incorrectly marked as collected from volunteer donors.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced Irradiated, by ARC Blood Services, New England Region, Dedham, MA. Reason: blood product manufactured without the additive solution.

Recovered Plasma, by Carter BloodCare, Bedford, TX. Reason: blood product from donor without adequate determination of suitability. Same reason reported for 1 unit each from the following: American Red Cross Blood Services, Central Ohio Region, Columbus, OH; American Red Cross Blood Services, Birmingham, AL; American National Red Cross Mid Atlantic Region, Norfolk, VA.

Recovered Plasma, by Blood Bank Of The Redwoods, Santa Rosa, CA. Blood product, collected from a donor who was previously deferred for testing positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Recovered Plasma, by South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, San Antonio, TX. Reason: donor was taking the medication finasteride.

Red Blood Cells Leukocytes Reduced, by Heartland Blood Centers, Aurora, IL. Reason: Blood products were distributed in expired collection bags.

Source Plasma, by DCI Biologicals Hot Springs, Inc., Hot Springs, AR. Reason: Collected from an ineligible donor.

Prevnar, by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Reason: potential for syringes with a rubber formulation in the tip caps not approved for use, 46,155 units.

Red Blood Cells (Apheresis) Leukocytes Reduced, by South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, San Antonio, TX. Reason: product did not meet acceptable product specifications. Same situation for South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, San Antonio, TX.

Serum iron detection sets, by Pointe Scientific, Inc., Canton, MI. Reason: invalid test results could be sent out due to turbidity formation, 1,082 sets.

Aquilion One Whole Body X-Ray CT Scanner, Whole body computed tomography scanning, by Toshiba American Medical Systems Inc., Tustin, CA. Reason: Delivery of clinical useful images may not be obtained because of incorrect intervals set before starting the scan, 29 units.

Staph latex tests and text kits, by NERL Diagnostics Corp., East Providence, RI. Reason: unattractive staph latex reagent. 

Micro introducer kit. Galt Medical Corp., Garland, TX. Reason: Potential problem with pouch seal thus affecting sterile product, 400 kits.

Distal Centralizer, Exeter II Hip System, by Stryker Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Mahwah, NJ. Reason: device labels have incorrectly printed manufacture dates and thus incorrect expiration dates on the product label.

MRI Scanner Compensation Coil, by Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc., Twinsburg, OH. Reason: Hitachi determined that the mounting method for a Compensation Coil did not include an appropriate factor of safety, so it is possible that the coil could fall, contacting the patient table and potentially putting a patient at risk, 56 devices.

Surgical lights and lighting systems, by Stryker Communications Corp., Flower Mound, TX. Reason: incomplete installation records.

Anterior Cervical Plate System, by Blackstone Medical, Inc., Wayne, NJ. Reason: possible nonconformity in the plate bendeer, causing difficulty accepting 3-4 level plates or to not accept 3-4 level plates that are intended to be additionally contoured, 112 units.

Photopheresis Procedural Kits, by Therakos, Inc., Raritan, NJ. Reason: Higher than normal blood leaks, 280 units in U.S. each with 3 kits.

Radiation Treatment Planning System, by Computerized Medical Systems Inc., Maryland Heights, MO. Reason: Under certain circumstances, XiO will over-estimate dose in the region where the backup jaw is inside the MLC opening, 34 units.

Cardiovascular and fluoroscopic imaging systems, by GE Healthcare, LLC, Waukesha, WI. Reason: potential software failure.

Lyric in-canal hearing aid, by InSound Medical, Inc., Newark, CA. Reason: potential electrolyte leakage from the product’s battery, due to manufacturing error, 2,019 units.

Compression wrap, by Circaid Medical Products Inc., San Diego, CA. Some systems in these lots have Built-In Pressure System lines with the incorrect amount of spacing. Some systems in these lots had I inch space between each line with no tension applied. The system should have 1.25 inches of space. The correct spacing (1.25″) is necessary to achieve the measured tension ranges. The incorrect spacing may result in the inability to achieve the correct tension level or discomfort from overtightened bands, 372 units.

Dental prosthetic implant, by 3m Imtec Corp., Ardmore, OK. Reason: incorrect size labeling, 189 units.

The FDA maintains information on drug and medical device recall at this address.

This information comes to you courtesy of Griffith Publishing, where we produce quality books for authors and self-publishers with a special emphasis in medical and health books and newsletters. 1 800 359-95o3.

The spotlight this week is on an Australian doctor named Patrick McGorry, who was recently named Australian of the year by his country’s government. Now he’s a leading advocate of dosing  adolescents and youngsters to keep them from having mental disorders. In his program, behavioral symptoms of teenagers are evaluated and if Dr. McGorry is suspicious of future mental problems, the youngsters are drugged with psychiatric medications to see if symptoms can be avoided. He wants $200 million more so he can bring more children under his care.

I’m not blaming the pharmaceutical companies for this because most of them are bowing out of drugs  for mental illness. I’m just mentioning it as a horrible example of what people will do to promote  schemes that  make money for somebody.

–submitted courtesy of Griffith Publishing

Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International

Everybody wants to be healthy. Preying on this universal desire, a business owner in Missouri managed to sell $17 million worth of fraudulent weight-control products on the Web before the FDA closed in on him. The company, Nutrapha, was shut down on March 18, and the owner, Charles Thau, has promised not to sell unproven products on the Web again. A total of 40 charges have been levied against Thau and his partners in crime.

 Actually, it wasn’t the products that got  Thau in trouble. It was his outrageous claims for what the products would do. He and fellow conspirators, including his wife, bought dietary supplements, which are not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration, set up a Web site promoting himself as a board-certified naturopathic physician, and began advertising that his pills would make you well.

His scheme worked like this. His company, Naturpha, would buy the supplements, re-package them with new names and claims that the pills would succesfully treat diabetes, high cholesterol, gout, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and high blood pressure.

It seems that the Web opens more doors than we can imagine to people who are out to twist and manipulate the public to make a few bucks. Still, in the end, the upright business owner  wins over the deceptive one who ends up in jail and, we hope, never again prospers on the backs of guillible people who crave relief from their medical problems.

Techmedica Health

TrueValue

Glucolex

Diabeticine

Cholestasys

Diamaxol

Here’s the press release from the Department of Justice.

Brought to you compliments of Grifith Publishing

During the first quarter of 2009 Wyeth was absorbed into Pfizer at a cost of $68 billion, Genentech into Roche for $46.8 billion, and Schering-Plough into Merck at a price of $41.1 billion.  

The Wyeth-Pfizer merger was the industry’s biggest financial deal last year, with nearly 20,000 jobs lost and the discontinuation of 100 drug development programs. Pfizer says it will continue supporting 500 drug develoment programs with emphasis on Oncology, pain, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, psychoses and diabetes.

How do mergers and aquisitions (M&As) of companies that research, develop, and sell medicines affect you and me?

Here are links to papers and additional information about M&A’s in big pharma. We do not offer an evaluation of their importance, just the basic information for you to consider on your own:

1. For $11,400 you can receive the 2009 Pharmaceutical M&A Overview available from the “Report Linker.”
2. A report entitled “The Evolving Pharma M&A Landscape: Emerging trends and Predicted Post-blockbuster Targets” is available for $3,835 as an Internet download. Published by Business Insights.   
3. Take a look at this online summary called “Will M&A’s give pharma bargaining power?” by FiercePharma.
4. A news report by Crain’s Chicago Business of the purchase by Abbott of the prescription drug business of Solway S.A., a Belgian conglomerate.  
5. A review of last year’s pharma mergers and acquisitions, including a trend to shun the publicly traded market and go private ownership.

Mergers and acquisitions affect the price of popular drugs, the development and testing of new drugs, and marketing and sales tactics for all drugs involved.  

Submitted compliments of Griffith Publishing

Read more: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/special-reports/pfizer-and-wyeth-top-10-deals-2009#ixzz0eP8YgdwM

1. Alcohol. Drink a glass of any alcoholic beverage, and your baby-to-be gets a dose of alcohol. Heavy drinking, especially early in the pregnancy, dramatically increases the baby’s risk of FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). A small skull, distorted facial features, heart problems, and mental retardation are the main signs in the cluster of problems known as FAS. Source: Mayo Clinic.
2. Tobacco. A woman who smokes during her pregnancy is more likely to give birth to a baby that is underweight and is born too early. Congentical heart defects,  nervousness, birthing problems. Source: March of  Dimes.
3. Teratogens. Some drugs can act as teratogens, a body chemical that can stop or slow growth of the unborn baby. Brand name examples include Lotensin, Capoten, Vasotec, Zestril, Monopril, Accupril, Altace, Isoretonin (for acne), Achromycin (tetracycline), Coumadin (warfarin), Dilatin, Tridione, Thalidomide  Source: Medicine Net.
4. Aspirin. Aspirin and other OTC (over-the-counter) drugs taken during pregnancy can cause serious problems. The biggest villain in this category is aspirin. Motrin, Advil, and other drugs that block the production of prostaglandins can lead to the threat of death from resulting blood problems, especially when taken late in the pregnancy.
5. Street drugs. All illicit drugs, from marijuana to heroin should be avoided not only throughout pregnancy but throughout a lifetime. Some of these drugs appear in prescription medications for specialized use. Here are some common drugs and their possible effects on the unborn baby:
   • Amphetamines —Heart defects. 
   • Cocaine— Bleeding, stillbirth, growth retardation, birth detects.
   • Marijuana— Low birth weight. 
   • Narcotics (heroin) — Growth problems, premature labor, narcotic withdrawal after birth, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
   • Tranquilizers (Valium) — Birth defects, withdrawal symptoms.
   • Glues and solvents — Low birth weight, short height, joint and limb problems, heart deffects, abnormal facial features.
   • Ecstasy —Long-term learning and memory problems.                                                      Source: Cleveland Clinics

 Experts agree: Whatever you eat or drink while you are pregnant, whether you know it or not, is food and drink for your unborn baby.

1. Abilify
2. Celebrex
3. Plavix
4. Lipitor

How much did sales increase for OxyContin in 2008 compared to 2007?

1. 140%
2. 110%
3. 90%
4. 75%

Lined up from first to last (1o to 200) by sales volume, where would you rank Lexapro?

1. 30th
2. 21st
3. 11th
4. 8th

Answers are here… (PDF file)

presented by Griffith Publishing

According to Medical News Today, revenues of publicly traded companies involved in developing new drugs grew 12% last year to US$89.7 billion. In the U.S. if you add up all the revenue and expenses for these drug companies, the industry achieved a profit last year for the first time in history.Total profit was $0.4 billion.

Drug research companies are relying on the following planks to bolster revenues and industries in the future:

1. Generics. The more high-demand generics are sold, the less pressure there should be on proprietary restraints by insurance companies.
2. U.S. healthcare reform. The day is approaching when drugs will be priced according to their benefits, and this should spark incentives for the research and development of new drugs.
3. Globalization. In an ever-shrinking world economy, the U.S. drug industry finds itself poised to cooperate with countries with capital to invest.

For more information about how biotech firms are doing in the recession, go to Medical News Today. For an interesting report on the apparent immunity to the recession by nonprofit biiotech firms, see the Washington Business Journal.

Brought to you by Griffith Publishing and Physician Publishing.

Doctors and the rest of us are tired of slick ads that promote the latest miracle-working medication. We realize that companies in the business of manufacturing pills spend more on advertising than they do on research. We’d just like that advertising to be based on reality, not on marketing dreams.

A chunk of all drug advertising–about 14 percent, according to PR Watch–goes to DTC, (direct to consumer) a form of advertising the Federal Drug Administration made legal in 1997. Viagra and Lipitor are two examples of advertising that used DTC make the brands  household words.

As much as drug companies want ordinary folks like us to choose their products, they are far more interested in the doctors who prescribe them. Every week an average of 28 office-to-office sales reps, known as “detailers,” visit family doctors to explain why their company’s pills should be prescribed. This costs the sponsoring companies about $8,290 per doctor every year.  Even more expensive are the special events drug companies host for doctors to learn more about their latest offerings.  Conferences with sponsored speakers are another expensive but effective way to get the attention of physicians.

Both doctors and consumers are backing away from drug promotion that isn’t backed up by facts. If an ad promises to relieve, cure, or prevent a medical problem, they want evidence. More to the point, they want to know if it doesn’t work. They want to know the facts about side effects, the number of people who are not helped by the drug, and their statistical chances of getting better after taking it.

Here are some reports you should read if you want to know about the tightrope between drug production and drug acceptance and how you as a prescriber or patient are affected.

Big Pharma: Tough to Swallow. People know they need Big Pharma (ads and all), but they still don’t like it.

Consumers, Docs Crave Facts from Drug Ads. Study says distrust of Big Pharma has made both skeptical of emotional appeals.

Big Pharma Spends More on Advertising  than Research and Development, Study Finds. Almost twice as much, as a matter of fact.

Direct to Consumer Advertising in the U.S. The only other country that allows direct-to-consumer advertising is New Zealand. Facts and numbers about how drug advertising dollars are spent.

Brought to you by Griffith Publishing.

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