Are we distracted by the warm fuzzy images on drug ads when we should be paying attention to the warnings?
Maybe. The FDA plans to find out.
"If advertisers were really interested in getting information about drug risks out, they'd show pictures of those problems, but you almost never see that," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the advocacy group Public Citizen, which frequently criticizes drug industry marketing.
If you're going to allow DTC advertising you've got to expect the companies to attempt to, ahem, sell their product while still adhering to the law. At some point it makes more sense to just ban the ads instead of spending time and money picking said ads apart. No?