Legislation that could seriously curb the drug advertising industry goes before the U.S. Senate for a vote next week. It's hard to picture a world where prescription drug ads aren't in every commercial break, but if the Food and Drug Administration has their way, those types of ads could be cut way back. The Annals of Family Medicine say based on viewing habits, the average person watches nearly 16 hours of prescription drug commercials every year. And when you think about each commercial lasting about 30 seconds or less, that comes out to just under 2,000 commercials! Direct-to-consumer drug ads have exploded into a $4.5 billion industry...but the FDA proposed legislation allowing it to ban new drug advertisements for the first two years a drug is manufactured. Local pharmacist Carl Collier says these ads lead people to self-diagnose and request unneeded drugs. "The public began jamming into the physicians offices, dictating to the doctor what they wanted to take as opposed to the doctor using his best judgment in their treatment," Collier says. "They're very appealing, they don't tell you all the problems with them and they tell you to go tell your doctor you want this drug. They don't even tell you what half of the drugs are for, they just say this will be good for you. Then you're supposed to go to your doctor, who's never prescribed it in the first place and convince him that you need this drug," says Fayetteville resident Bernard Cooperstein. Some argue that drug ads keep the public informed about what medicines are out there. "I'm a diabetic and there's been several new drugs that have come out that I've seen on TV for diabetes and I ask my doctor about them. Most of them he says I don't need that particular drug but I ask him about it anyway and if he thinks I need it then he can say yes," says Bobby Choat. Others aren't sure if the ads are hurting or helping the public. Sara Caulk says, "It's a mixed bag. I think people are aware that they do have symptoms that could perhaps be treated that they didn't know of before, but on the other hand I think we're too quick to reach for a drug."
