We have a government bureaucracy that requires drug companies spend hundreds-of-millions of dollars and years to develope and test drugs before they are allowed to sell them. Then we complain that the companies actually try and recoup their costs and make a profit by advertising.
I believe the incidence of a drug being accidentally discovered because observed to have a beneficial effect on some condition are pretty small. The sequence is almost always that of an observed or known illness or condition followed by years or decades of research and developement followed by some breakthrough compound that relieves or cures the ailment or condition.
Some drugs have multiple applications. Given the huge cost in time, labor and money of developing these things I would certainly expect the people who do all the work to try and find as many applications as possible in order to broaden their market for the drug.
As pointed out above all drugs have side effects. I am hard pressed to think of a human activity that doesn’t. The question is are the side effects worth suffering because the condition or ailment treated is far worse? The choice is ours. No one puts a gun to our head and forces us to take these things.
Exactly. Whoever thought heart medication could make hair grow on bald men?
As pointed out above all drugs have side effects. I am hard pressed to think of a human activity that doesn’t. The question is are the side effects worth suffering because the condition or ailment treated is far worse
People are funny. They want silver bullets to cure complex diseases without any side effects. Lots of them believe that's possible if we'd just let government control evil big pharma.
Drug companies will also incrementally modify their drugs after they've been commercialized. When they do this many times it's because they've found a way to alleviate or minimize some of the side effects.
The choice is ours. No one puts a gun to our head and forces us to take these things.
That's right. The advertising doesn't bother me nearly as much as leaving the choice for treatment entirely up to the MD. Greater awareness of options is a good thing.