I really hate all the pharma ads on TV. Now I have an even better reason to abhor them. (h/t Digby)
Meanwhile, Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York, has introduced a bill called the Say No to Drug Ads Act. It would amend the federal tax code to prevent pharmaceutical companies from deducting the cost of direct-to-consumer drug advertisements as a business expense.
“You should not be going to a doctor saying, ‘I have restless leg syndrome’ — whatever the hell that is — or going to a doctor saying, ‘I have the mumps,’ ” Mr. Nadler said in an interview. “You should not be diagnosed by some pitchman on TV who doesn’t know you whatsoever.” […]
Hello? They’re getting a tax cut for pushing drugs? And, make no mistake, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Half the time I’m not even certain of what their little purple pill does. All I see are high happy people running through fields. And my favorite ads always end with… Tell your doctor.
Tell your doctor? Shouldn’t that be the other way around? Shouldn’t your doctor be telling you? And can anyone tell me what other companies receive a subsidy to advertise? No wonder reforming health care is such a battle. One side gets all the breaks.