Among developed countries, only the U.S. and New Zealand allow direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies and boy, do they take advantage of this opportunity! You cannot watch television with seeing ads for pharmaceutical products.

            The FDA relaxed its guidelines on radio and television advertising in 1997, and the boom took off. In 2012, spending on traditional media (mostly TV) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry was $3.2 billion and by 2024 it hit $7.5 billion.

            As eyeballs turned from broadcast TV to social media, pharmaceutical advertising followed. In addition to the $7.5 billion spent on traditional broadcast media, pharma ads on social media hit $19.5 billion in 2024.

            Why do they spend so much money on these ads? Because they work. People hear about new “wonder drugs” and ask their doctors about them.

            Product claim ads, the majority, give the drug’s brand name (in large print) along with its generic name, the condition it treats and its benefits and risks. The benefits are up front and emphasized while the risks typically go by rapidly at the end. Cost is never mentioned.

            Not surprisingly, there is no obligation for the ad to specify how the drug works or if there are competing drugs for the same condition that are safer or cheaper.

            A fascinating study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association two years ago found that advertising expenses were much higher for drugs of limited benefit than for those with greater clinical benefit.

            What should you do? If you think you have the condition the drug is supposed to help, it is perfectly OK for you to ask your doctor about it. They are in the best position to know if the drug might benefit you, if it is safe for you given any other medical conditions you have and medicines you are taking, whether there are better and/or cheaper drugs to use instead and if you can avoid the need for any drug by making lifestyle changes.

            I must note that doctors are also heavily marketed by big pharma and not immune to the siren call of glossy ads and free lunches brought by pharma’s marketing representatives.

            Remember, the purpose of any advertisement is to sell products. This is as true for pharmaceutical ads as it is for ads for cars or vacation time-shares. The primary goal of pharmaceutical advertising is not to help you but to sell more drugs, so take the claims with a large grain of salt.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

The Frosty Runner Road Race, an annual long-distance run at Old Colony, matched its billing in its 12th year.

            More than 280 participants came to the high school on Saturday, January 25 to complete the 10.5-mile or 5-kilometer circuit through a mid-20-degree chill. “Definitely lived up to the name of the frosty runner,” Robert Norcott, the 10.5-mile men’s winner, said. “Think we’re all a little bit cold, little bit fatigued, but what a great day in January to get a good race in.”

            Norcott, 43, finished in 1:03:45. It was his first time running the Frosty Runner Road Race. “I just love to compete,” he said. “I love running with somebody that’s either chasing me or I’m chasing them.”

            With a cold wind across the route’s hills and flat surfaces, Norcott, of Berkley, said the run was “very challenging.” It was also his first time running a race that was specifically 10.5 miles long. “That .5 you really feel at the end,” Norcott said. “It really tests your kick.”

            Linda Spooner, 50, finished the 10.5-mile race first among women, in 1:10:49. She is a multi-time winner of the yearly winter run through the streets of Rochester. “It’s really everything somebody wants in a race,” Spooner, of Sturbridge, said. “I love it.”

            The event also includes a 5-kilometer route. New Bedford resident Corey Hebert, a multi-time winner, placed first among men with a time of 17:32. The cold made the run more difficult than last year, Hebert, 31, said. It makes breathing harder, and muscles have to be warm to run efficiently. “Once you’re in the race, it’s not too bad, but on a cold, cold day like this, it can get to you a little bit,” he said.

            Westport resident Mary Cass, a previous winner, placed first for women with a 20:29 time. “It takes a hardcore runner to run on a day like today,” Cass, 63, said.

            Bethany Botelho first organized the Frosty Runner Road Race at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in 2012. “It was really just kind of a local race, and it’s wild to see how much it’s branched out,” Botelho, a vocational director at the school, said.

            The event primarily serves as a fundraiser for Old Colony’s cross-country team. Old Colony staff and faculty volunteer for the event, according to Botelho. “I like that it supports the school here, and that’s one reason why I do it,” Cass said.

            Winner of the men’s 5K section, Hebert, said he loves the run because it’s a local road race that supports a local school.

            Winner of the women’s 10.5, Spooner, said the event is a “great cause” that, with little racing happening in the winter, “comes at such a good time.”

            “It’s everything you want, and I’ll try to do it every single year,” she said. “It’s just so great.”

By Erez Ben-Akiva