Every time I see an ad on TV touting a new “wonder drug”, I laugh when it takes twice as long to list the negative side effects of the drug vs. the potential benefits.
And I say to myself, in 5 years or so, we’ll be seeing ads from a bunch of slip and fall lawyers, telling you to call an 800 number to file a claim based on the harm (and deaths) caused by the very same drug.
Sometimes they are better than SitComs, from a morbid sense of view. We mute the commerical so we can read such gems as "may cause suicidal thoughts", "may cause uncontrolable urge to defecate" (or words to that effect), etc.
More than once wife and I look at each other and ask "Can you believe this?" This is one area I am glad for government intervention as without those full disclosure laws, the advertisers will be mum about the side effects.
And sometimes the problem is so mild and the side effects so hideous, you wonder if they are parodies.