Well, these are serious prescription drugs, not harmless pills that should be given out to everyone. The pharmacy companies encouraged doctors to overprescribe without properly weighing the benefits and risks. Advertising to consumers, who are not medically sophisticated enough to judge their need for these drugs vs. the risks, was another bad idea.
The whole idea of these drugs was to help people with serious, chronic pain whose stomachs might be damaged by ibuproferon and aspirin. They are not suitable for every baby-boomer who is beginning to feel the normal aches and pains of old age.
"Advertising to consumers, who are not medically sophisticated enough to judge their need for these drugs vs. the risks, was another bad idea."
This is one of my favorite rants. Some dipstick who couldn't make it through high school Algebra I sees a TV commercial for "X" drug, and goes to his doc and wants THAT ONE. It happens all the time - my GP says he fights the "you don't need that" battle daily.
Precisely how does a pharmaceutical company "encourage" an MD to overprescribe a drug without weighing benefits and risks? How does a company "encourage" an MD to act against his own medical knowledge and training?
Your argument is no different from those who say "the fast-food industry encourages teenagers to overeat fatty burgers and french fries without properly weighing benefits and risks." OK. They advertise their product, showing skinny girls and boys eating their product and having fun. That's certainly "encouragement." Is it coercion? Are anyone's rights being violated? Do girls and boys have the freedom to say "no"?
Yes? Yes, they do have the freedom NOT to buy the burger-and-fries? Same with drug companies and doctors. If we blame the upbringing of the kids for being so easily manipulated by TV ads encouraging them to overeat, then we should blame the medical training of the doctors for being so easily manipulated by TV ads encouraging them to overprescribe.