E-drug: Re: Novartis advertisement (3)
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In response to the David Gilbert's point on the Novartis advertisment in the
UK -
I am most interested to hear of this phenomenon. In South Africa, Novartis
has recently embarked on a similar campaign to advertise a new therapy for
alzheimers disease (once again, no drug name mentioned) to the general
public through billboards and newspaper adverts. (I have not noticed
similar campaigns conducted by other drug companies). Although I am not
sure of the letter of the law in South Africa, this would seem to confound
its general intention. Any other comments on the legality of such
advertising in South Africa or elsewhere would be appreciated.
At an entirely different level, however, I suspect that this phenomenon may
not be entirely negative. It might force both insurers and government to
formulate their own positions with regard to the provision of such drugs
using hard evidence, rather than simply bumbling along. I would imagine
if 10% of your covered population suddenly starts demanding the latest
miracle cure, this tends to concentrate the mind.