A Nation Of Pill-Takers

Americans Swallowing Drugs For Relief And Peace Of Mind

(CBS)  This story originally aired on Oct. 22, 2006.

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How's this for a startling statistic: the United States makes up just a measly 5 percent of the world's population, but it accounts for a whopping 42 percent of the world's spending on prescription drugs — more than $250 billion just last year.

"The great three words in American life are go, go and go. So you want to wake up and swallow something and be fixed," historian Douglas Brinkley tells CBS Sunday Morning contributor Susan Spencer.

For example, hard-charging advertising executive Jerry Della Femina chugs down nearly a dozen pills each day for a variety of ailments — problems he actually has and problems he just worries about.

"You don't know how sick you'd be if you didn't take it," Della Femina said.

His forefathers would understand, Brinkley said.

"If you look back at American history, you'll find time and time again the old medicine shows. They travel around the country, people would say, you know I've got arthritis or you have a sore throat or a headache, I'll take the magic bullet the magic pill," Brinkley explained.

It's more than just culture, says Dr. Marcus Reidenberg of Weill Cornell Medical College. After all, these drugs do tend to work.

"If the individual is troubled enough by the problem, knows what the risks are of the medicine, (including the fact that these new medicines — we don't know what all the risks are), and still feels that the benefit is worthwhile — I don't have a problem with it," Reidenberg said.

But critics of the pharmaceutical industry have big problems with it, worried that Americans are running to their doctors demanding the latest pill for the latest diseases based on the latest information they got on television.

The average TV viewer is bombarded with an estimated 10 prescription drug ads a day.

Only viewers half the globe away, in New Zealand, get to share this experience. Prescription drug ads are banned everywhere else.

At Brand Institute, Inc., a Miami marketing firm, naming, or re-naming, syndromes for drug companies is 20 percent of the business.

The key, says company president Jim Dettore, is a name that describes the symptom in a nice way, making it OK to seek help, with, preferably, the client's drug.

"These acronyms allow them to communicate more effectively with less pressure," Dettore said.

It works — every dollar spent on advertising, produces more than $4 in sales.

Ad man Jerry Della Femina, who has no pharmaceutical clients, said just look at what's happened with cholesterol.

"People discuss their cholesterol count on their first date. They go out and, 'Hi. My cholesterol count is 150.'

"Well mine happens to be 175. The more they see something on television, the more they react to these commercials, the more that they will sell. And, then you'll start to see everyone is taking it," Della Femina said.

But New York University clinical psychologist Leonore Tiefer sees real risk in all of this pill taking.

"There is no drug trial in the world where anyone is taking five drugs simultaneously and they are looking at the interactions. So why is it a bad idea? I don't want to be part of some experiment," Tiefer said.

Its "disease mongering" Tiefer calls it, and just to sell drugs.

Dettore explained that companies like his are simply responding to the needs of consumers.

"Baby boomers are saying, 'I wanna live. I don't wanna sneeze. I don't wanna cough. I don't wanna run around with a runny nose. I want — I wanna be perfect,'" he said.

"As long as there's innovation there will be brands. And as long as there's brands there will be syndrome names," Dettore said. "And yes, there will be sales."

[sujata13-2009]

I was pleasantly surprised to see an anti-pharmeceuticals piece on network television. There should be more reports that put these companies to task, but alas, they seem to pay for most of the news programs which keeps the truth away from the public.

"The average TV viewer is bombarded with an estimated 10 prescription drug ads a day. Only viewers half the globe away, in New Zealand, get to share this experience. Prescription drug ads are banned everywhere else."

I beg to differ with you here. We are bombarded with many more than 10 ads per day. I counted the commercials once watching the evening news. There were 12 ads: two were for the news, two were for foods with medicinal qualities, and eight were for pharmacies and pharmeceuticals. And that''s only in a half an hour.

I would love to see these ads outlawed in the US, but then who would pay for the news programs?
;)

[gary_klinga]

How bizarre it is that CBS broadcasts a report about how the pharmaceutical industry is getting the nation hooked on prescription drugs, many of which we don''t need, and meanwhile, most of their advertising (commercials during news broadcasts, for example)those same pharmaceuticals!
Do you not see any irony in this? CBS is complicit in this misdeed.
Gary Klinga.

[ebethgrace]

I''m American and lived for three years in England. I can attest to the up and downsides of the funds advertising brings in to drug companies. It allows a greater amount of money for research for all health issues and support socialized countries where people (and the country) pay in most cases, ONE TENTH of the price for the exact same meds that we take here. So thanks for that.

Americans are, by continuing to be privatized, subsidizing medical care to the rest of the world. This allows for better care for the human race generally. However, it does mean that every year, we get worse and less care for a larger and larger segment of our own country that can''t afford it. Isn''t that an odd thing?

It''s a SHOCK additionally, to come home to the UTTER ridiculousness of restless leg syndrome (and not surprisingly, a brother-in-law who suddenly suffers from it!!!). It''s like they are just making things up.

Our bodies are designed to two things we know for sure: to heal themselves of most ailments, and to wear out and waste away eventually. Trade pills for healthy lifestyle choices (YES, you do have a choice to walk instead of drive. YES, you do have a choice to eat local organic veggies and free-range, pasture-raised meat instead of junk.)

Oh, and as a side note, I recommend just turning off the stupid TV and reading more.

All the best,
Elizabeth
blogatelizabethhowarddotnet

[tgeurkink1]

Our government allows this advertising because what is good for the profits of the drug companies takes precedence over what is necessarily good for the public, when the average citizen''s education about drugs are what they see on t.v.
Of bigger concern to everyone- at least it SHOULD be - is that doctors are allowed to receive very very substantial "gifts" or awards for prescribing certain drugs.... the number of scripts they write for certain drugs can get them posh vacations, etc. - the sky is the limit on these awards. Does no one understand the term "CONFLICT OF INTEREST"??? They teach this in any business class. They understand all right, it works very well for the drug companies. Go figure, money''s influence on politicians.

[nobletres]

Great piece!
But, how much has our health as a nation improved as a result of the our ability to "communicate more effectively with less pressure"?
Sadly, that was not addressed in the segment.

[oncellrx]

This Health Issues show has an EMMY written all over it! Thanks CBS!!!
But let's face it - what we have in the US is a "SickCare System" - NOT a Healthcare System! How sad that "sick" pays better than "health".

Everyone has heard people say: "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself!" It's about time that insurers start to listen to those people and focus more dollars on preventive care. The whole picture might suddenly become a lot rosier. Heaven knows, we could all be a lot healthier - if we could afford to take better care of ourselves.

I'm afraid everyone is getting desensitized by story after story on OBESITY, and do we really need endless "big belly video spots" to prove this is a "HUGE PROBLEM"?

ENOUGH ALREADY!! Isn't it time we took this bull by the horns? Much to everyone's amazement, we managed to stop "Big Tobacco", so let's do the same to "Big Snack-o"!!!

[jawbear]

Re: "The average TV viewer is bombarded with an estimated 10 prescription drug ads a day. Only viewers half the globe away, in New Zealand, get to share this experience. Prescription drug ads are banned everywhere else."

FYI, anyone living in Canada who subsribes to cable/satellite tv are also bombarded by an estimated 10 prescription drug ads a day. We are still on the same globe aren't we?

[jusdane]

What's sad is because there's so much money in drugs, the government allows the pharmaceutical companies and our doctors to mislead us. The proof is out there; prescription drugs don't heal, they only hide symptoms (and eventually cause different ailments requiring more drugs). Instead of wondering how sick we'd be if we didn't take the drugs we take, we should be wondering how sick the same drugs will make us. Other countries around the world have higher successes of "healing" people principally because they use methods other than relying on prescribing drugs that don't work.

[ogeidnasca]

Americans have become the most whining nation in the world. In the past they believed health care was a right, now they believe Health itself is a right. And they can jump off a cliff but the doctors have to fix them back to perfection and the govt owes them. Lawyers are to blame for this change in culture as they have exploited the people to fill their own pockets. And they have successfully kept the attention away from themselves by constantly attacking the physicians in this country. There is no equivalent of Medicare in the legal position. Make fixed payments for legal action in this country and we will see a sharp decline in frivolous law suits. Lawyers can offer to do the case and receive payment only if they win (physicians cannot do that). Lawyers can charge a third of the "Bounty" unlike any other profession in this country. This country has been so screwed by the lawyers there is no future for this country.

[oleander8]

Restless Legs Syndrome??? Come on, drink a glass of warm milk and go to bed.

[exusmcsgt]

Coaster26-

I'm sorry, but I didn't get the "take" on the story that you obviously did. My "take" is that we are bombarded with "ask your doctor" ads for everything from sleeping pills to viagra.

I remember a day when the doctor told you what meds you needed, not the other way around.

Look at ritalin, for example. How my generation managed to get through childhood without being drugged was just some kind of miracle, I suppose.....

Well gee f***ing thanks. In one fell swoop, you have demeaned all of us who have real medical issues and actually need to take medication to control a problem as "just our way of dealing with today's pressures".

"There is no drug trial in the world where anyone is taking five drugs simultaneously and they are looking at the interactions." Ummm....then how do they come up with those 'Adverse Interactions' lists on every drug package insert? Did she mean that the interactions lists are just made up? Idiot.

Oh, and how about 'as long as there are syndroms, there will be syndrome names' instead of ******** about them being named close to the drug that treats it? I bet it makes it easier to remember. And still, I don't see a drug called "Asperger's Syndrome", which is one of the most common syndromes among children today. I guess that didn't occur to them either. What a pack of ninnies.

This was really fishing for a story, and sadly, there are plenty of important things that could ahve been written about instead.

[frand46]

If you ask me, those ads are directed to doctors as well as patients. I certainly don't go to my doctor looking for RX but he is ready to write them whether I want them or not. Who knows what these drugs are doing to us -- certainly not the doctors. Drug companies own this country. They pay for the studies that lower standards for cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose. I challenge you to look up what these standards were 10 years ago. You will find that they have all been lowered sometimes more than once. The result is millions more people are told to take drugs and the drug companies make billions more dollars. Also the drug companies are giving the doctors rewards for prescribing them. I heard one news report that told about drug companies that buy info from pharmacies to see what doctors are prescribing what drugs and then they send their rep to talk the doctor into prescribing their drug instead of a competing drug. The drug companies also own a good many politicians. They are getting to be as bad as the Mafia. In this country, money is all important and anyone can be bought.

[kwlambi]

well, this is a real story of how americans deal with the fear factor. They take drugs to ward off things that they think will hurt their bods. This isnt about acute realistic accidents, that cause pain,or diagnosed diseases, this is like W and the admin telling us about those bloody terrorists. The insurance lobbies as well as the Med association in this country make profits inducing the fear factor. And the Americans are like fish, they take the bait hook line and sinker. This article is actually so ridiculously skewed, its quoting Drs, and drug company officials, those who support the fear factor and the Fleecing! Im a baby boomer and that quote is absolute *** about being perfect! Ive sneezed all my life and coughed too, how stupid can this get? I would like to see all retirees get free health care for everything and free drugs just because they supported the insurance and medical industry all their working life. That would be American. Anybody wanna check on the amount of money spent on needless drugs bought in Canada?? and so on and so forth, and what is it that FDR said about FEAR?

[jammer60]

What about the people who have been in car accidents? ie: a hit/run by a drunk driver. They are left with many different ailments, which more than not, need many different meds. if no possible operation is in sight. I would gladly give up the cost & the ailments the drunk driver left me with to go on with my life as it was before. I AM

[keithk01]

The french are the first, ..
yes, SJU the old traditional one..

[janislopes-2009]

As a sufferer of Restless Legs Syndrome, along with 10% of the population, I am offended you suggested that it is a "made up syndrome" by the pharmaceutical companies. Shame on you! You insult all of those who try to live with this hideous disease, day in & day out. Do your homework before you do such a disservice. Contact www.rls.org, the National Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, for accurate information.
Thank Heaven there are medications to help!

[sju_hoops]

Don't you love America Dan? Why not allow traditional medications, like Scotch, to advertise on TV ;)

[danhouck10-2009]

I think this was a great story. Hopefully Americans will become more aware of "real" symptoms and "advertised" symptoms. HOWEVER, I was VERY disappointed to see prescription drug ads in many of the commercial breaks throughout this show!!!! What's the point of airing a package about "over-advertisement" and then go right to a commercial break with prescription ads!!! Come on guys!! I know you gotta sell ads, but that seemed pretty hypocritical!!

[oleander8]

It is fairly recent that drug companies have been allowed to advertise drugs you can only get from your doctor to the public at large.

How did this happen? Who gave the pharmaceuticals this power?