Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Do not stare directly at broken tablets

Just so you know where I stand, I am not against the drug companies making a billion gagillion dollars, not at all. In fact, I think they probably need at least half a gagillion just to do the R & D necessary to developing new items of possible live-saving and/or weekend-enhancement quality. In a just world, the bulk of their profits would go toward paying exorbitant rent to the people of the Amazon to caretake and catalog that most precious of natural medicinal resources. In our world, though, I do not think it unreasonable to expect drug companies to be honest. Woo hoo, that's funny! No, no, not fiscally honest or who keeps burning popcorn in the breakroom microwave honest. I just mean legally enforced honesty, full disclosure of all studies done on any given drug. They should also be made to track all incoming reports of incidents after release to market - but hold on now, little Miss Sassypants, one thing at a time!

My father-in-law, a man of remarkable wit & wisdom, sent this to me. It is a cute little animated song mocking tv drug ads. Sure, you might think they are virtually un-mockable, what with the warnings about side effects ranging from sleepiness (in a sleeping pill, so wouldn't that be the main effect?) to coma & death. Ah yes, servin' up a little side dish of DEATH. Not to worry, just a niggly higgly pesky little side effect. My favorite ad is for propecia, which I have not seen on tv in a while, but if memory serves, specifically warns women to stand back 50 feet from it and not handle or stare directly at broken tablets. All that danger is worth it though because it might help balding men grow an ounce of peach fuzz, so how can you argue with that? As if the rockin' animation and jaunty tune were not enough, you will find a link on the page to how you can support legislation for full public drug study disclosure, the Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act (FACT Act). No spam here, folks - this is from Consumer's Union (publisher of Consumer Reports), so go ahead and click without fear.

What!?! Singing and dancing pills? And I can see them without waking up in a strange city with unexplained tattoos and no shoes? Count me in!

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