VITAL SIGNS: PRO & CON; Should Stars Pitch Prescription Drugs?
“,”description”:”Should drug companies use celebrities, like the Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken, in advertisements for prescription drugs? ALISHA BERGER Until recently, pharmaceutical companies focused advertising efforts on prescribing doctors, inundating them with vast numbers of ”throw-away journals” that invariably bypassed their targets and ended up in the trash. More recently, pharmaceutical companies have discovered that they achieve greater success pitching products directly to the public. Recently, there has been an explosion of several excellent drugs to treat depression, migraine headaches, allergies, hypertension and stomach disorders. In each class of these drugs, several more or less equivalent versions have been introduced. The drugs are generally safe and effective. Since the drugs are inherently good, there is no reason celebrities should not be hired to promote a product, since the intent is simply to raise market share. There is some societal good in having celebrit
