NYP: UK viewers horrified by US drug ads during Harry and Meghan interview

[Bleacher Creature]

Link to tweet

I know it's the Post, but the article is fascinating and shows again how the U.S. health care system is totally out of whack.

[abqtommy]

1. I dunno. We Yanks were horrified by tRUMP so we voted him out. Now the Brits still

have BO "Ya Doesn't Have To Call Me Johnson" JO as their prime minister but that's not
horrifying to them? Maybe my cousins in Sussex can smoothe down my feathers...

[RussBLib]

2. pills for depression, boners, skin problems, sinus problems, hair trouble, your dog's skin problems

ad infinitum

it is pretty sad

[malaise]

3. I have a cousin who used to visit once a year - she is seriously hooked on

the Lifetime Channel. Never in my life have I seen so many ads for drugs. I wrote about it here years ago.

We should do a count of the number of drug ads in a given day on most channels - unfuckingbelievable.

What makes me bang my head is the list of side effects down to the one that a particular drug can lead to death.

[Afromania]

7. That's every drug.

All of the commercials have smiley happy people frolicking and living their best life to some upbeat music followed quickly by some fake doctor and reassuring narrator telling you that

This could cause you to stop breathing, turn orange, have your genitalia fall off, have your hair fall out, stop taking doots, start doing the other 3 times as much, liver damage, mind altering effects of various types, and/or death, sometimes cancer before death.... Oh and your heart will probably explode if you take this too long, but only just a little bit

[malaise]

8. Perfectly stated

It's absolutely crazy

[Nonhlanhla]

14. Yeah, but it will cure your pimples!

[malaise]

15. And your skin will be the envy of everyone on the beach

just before you are laid out in your casket

[Shermann]

12. I despise the drug commercials

But they seem to be the only revenue propping up broadcast TV these days?

If we take that gravy train away, does the whole thing collapse?

The cure might be worse than the disease (pun intended).

[hunter]

20. Does the whole thing collapse? Oh, I hope so!

My wife and I quit traditional television a long time ago.

We don't see any television commercials in our daily lives.

Mostly we watch Netflix and DVDs.

Sometimes I look at clever television commercials people post here on DU from youtube.

My children, nephews, and nieces don't pay any attention at all to traditional television. They don't have cable or satellite television, they haven't attached antennas to their televisions, they haven't programmed any channels.

They stream or 'cast everything from their phones. Some of them don't even use remote controls.

This probably explains all that advertising for old people stuff.

[Shermann]

21. There is an age connection for sure

If it isn't the drug commercials on CNN, it's the insurance commercials.

Young people aren't buying insurance much either.

[CurtEastPoint]

13. My fave is rx for lung cancer: "let your doctor know if you have trouble breathing."

[malaise]

16. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah1but dont forget to tell him which

drug you want - it's all madness

[Walleye]

4. I'm horrified by those ads.I remember when they weren't allowed

[PatSeg]

17. I'm horrified by them as well

and I also remember when they weren't allowed to advertise. Other developed countries find it bizarre.

[greenjar_01]

5. We've normalized the clownish practice of advertising prescription drugs

"Ask your doctor about..."

Wait until the Brits hear about other absurdist practices of the pharmaceutical companies, like hiring bright and good-looking young women straight out of college to be their main reps with (older male) doctors, or throwing boozy parties with the same reps hawking the latest pills and free bottles of top shelf liquor. Cool scene, the American pharmaceutical industry.

[Shermann]

10. Except they've cured so many diseases in recent years!

I can't think of one at the moment, but I'm pretty sure they are curing diseases and not just peddling dangerous, costly chemicals that seem to mostly make symptoms slightly better for reasons unclear and/or sometimes ruin lives for reasons unclear.

[70sEraVet]

6. As the article states, only the US and New Zealand allow drug advertisements

I guess most countries assume that its better to let doctors choose what drug to prescribe, than to have patients shop around for a doctor willing to prescribe the medication that has the most effective ads.

[GusBob]

9. So many folks disturbed about what they see on TV

The solution is simple, but beyond their understanding I reckon

[Dawgman49]

11. I watched a commercial being filmed

In our small coastal town. I thought they were making a movie....lots of video/sound equipment, blocked off three streets...sound trucks, catering tent for the crew. I asked someone about the movie...”it’s a commercial “.. three days of this for maybe a 30 second spot...what this must have cost...and we wonder about pharma costs to us

[Martin68]

18. Horrified by drug ads but have no problem with racist tabloids and royal family?

[greenjar_01]

19. ...