Drug advertising ban is the right prescription
In the Nov. 18 Tribune, the best news I’ve heard in a long time: “The American Medical Association on Tuesday called for a ban on consumer advertising for prescription drugs and medical devices …”
The amount of money spent on TV commercials by drug companies seeking to influence people to buy the supposedly latest and greatest cure-all drugs is in the billions. The consumer pays for this in the long run in higher drug prices. Doctors alone should be making the decisions for patients regarding drug use — not pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Apparently, there are no federal laws prohibiting advertising of drugs by drug companies. Advertising is a potent tool and should not be used to influence doctors or patients on medication choice. This is not the same as selling fast foods, and there should be serious laws in place to restrict or outright outlaw the overwhelming number of drug ads on TV.
Eli Barbour, Templeton
This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Drug advertising ban is the right prescription."