Comment by beejiu
18 days ago
> 1. Something is systemically wrong in the US when we are cutting off people’s access to meds, like GLP-1s, which have profound health benefits.
The US is the only country, aside from New Zealand, that allows direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription only medicines.
> The US is the only country, aside from New Zealand, that allows direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription only medicines.
What interesting here is that Hims & Hers are able to skirt the pharmaceutical marketing regulations. They are able to blanket the world in their ads whereas pharma companies have to abide by strict safety information requirements in their commercials. Him/Hers give literally zero safety and side effect info.
The other weird thing is that the companies like Hims/Hers are basically dial a script. You call them and get whatever you want. They probably deny no one and don't turn anyone away. Unethical and lacks physician oversight.
Not quite, the physicians or NPs or whomever will actively coach you on how to correctly answer their (very simplistic) questionnaires to get the drug you want. And if you fill it out incorrectly, they'll tell you what to correct and offer you a chance to "review your answers for accuracy".
GLP-1 drugs don’t require marketing. There are tons of people who have been prescribed them and aren’t being covered by insurance. Both Novo and Eli Lily are now selling them direct to consumers with prescriptions that don’t have insurance coverage.
The marketing isn't for the drugs.
They market the service that gives you the drugs with the smallest oversight possible. These services are becoming popular among people who shouldn't be taking GLP-1s (eating disorders, body dysmorphia, people who are too thin but want to lose more weight) because most of their providers are just trying to write prescriptions as fast as possible to collect their payments.
Also the elderly and poor who cannot afford the prescriptions.
GLP-1 drugs range from $100-$200 a month from mail order compounding pharmacies, or $500 a month on "discount" plans from the drug makers.
This change to FDA enforcement is going to prevent a lot of people from getting help.
The positive impact of GLP-1 drugs is huge, but the price is out of reach for most people. The people who most benefit, elderly obese people at high risk of injury due to falls, who have a low quality of life from morbid obesity, are least able to afford access to the drugs.
These compounding pharmacies were improving a lot of lives.
I'm obese. The drugs are approved. But without another condition they aren't covered by my HMO so I have to go outside.
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But they still market regardless. They probably constitute 50% of the medical ads I see now
Make sure to tune into the superbowl tomorrow.
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>> The US is the only country, aside from New Zealand
And canada. I have seen many commercials on hotel televisions for prescription drugs there.
In the UK there's a lot of TV advertising for "weight loss medication" that never refers to any drug by name. But if you look at the small print, it refers to "Orlistat", which is technically available without a prescription. Of course, nobody (or few) actually want Orlistat or end up being prescribed it after the consultation.
Canada's laws around this are...odd.
The law prohibits ads from simultaneously naming a prescription drug and its therapeutic use. So you might see an ad pushing a specific drug, but it will never say what it's used for. Or you might see an ad where people talk about treatments for a condition but never mention the drug, just saying talk to your doctor.
Sometimes they get around this subtly. In one ad a number of overweight actors discuss how much they love a specific drug, but it's never mentioned what it's for but is implied.
And of course when US channels are simulcast in Canada, US ads just run as is.
I like the one where they're in a coffee shop or whatever and everytime they talk about the indications, there's a noisy machine running.
Much better than the one where everybody is like I asked my doctor about Flugeltrophen.
I thought this was true, but I got direct marketing for prescription medicine in Canada a few weeks ago. I don't think this claim is accurate anymore.
It is still not legal in Canada. Someone must have been flouting the law.
Based on other comments here, I think you may misunderstand the law, or there is a loophole.
This is a vacuous statement because in much of the world (ie most of the developing world), there's no such thing as "prescription only" medicine, people can buy whatever they want over the counter.
No… The rest of the first world countries as a counter example.
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I like it.
I'm on one medication I wouldn't have know could help me without seeing ads. It's improved my life.