Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T.
Breakthroughs

ADVERTISING in general has been taking a bad name for many years because of its widespread inaccuracy on claims and propaganda-type assertions instead of being informative and useful to readers.

Canadian economist Stephen Butler Leacock considers it insulting to human intelligence: “Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” And comedian Fred Allen makes laughs out of it: “Advertising is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent commission.”

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The concern of most critics is on accuracy of message. And this is particularly serious when we are talking about drug advertising in medical journals.

At least four studies found out that doctors use advertising in medical journals as one of the main sources of information for
newly marketed drugs. And if they get wrong information this way, we may be concerned if our treatments become a blind shot. And if worse comes to worse, we might end up dealing with drug-related conditions instead of being cured by it. A recent study published in the PLoS ONE found out that less than 67 percent of advertising claims in medical journal are supported by a sound research procedure — systematic, randomized, and controlled.

The study was conducted by Noordin Othman, Agnes Vitry, and Elizabeth Roughead, both scientists at the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Center, at the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences in the University of South Australia (Adelaide, Australia). They reviewed advertisements from 26 countries covered by 24 separate studies. “Two studies found that less than 28 percent of claims were unambiguous clinical claims,” reported Othman.

This development is of great concern to patients because it means that it is no longer wise to remain uninformed about their health and unable to make intelligent questions to their physicians.

Most competent doctors are glad to explain to you information about your ailment, and that would be the time to reinforce what you know from your readings or raise questions that may have caused red flags as to the diagnoses or the treatment.

“Abandoned patient-hood” may be dangerous to your health or life. Inaccurate drug ad in journals applies with the same problem with health books that Mark Twain observed and warned about: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” (E-mail: zim_breakthroughs@yahoo.com; blog: http://breakthroughs.today.blogspot.com)