The coronavirus is ravishing our planet but Big Pharma seems to offer nothing but a small penis. Which proves what I have felt all along – it is strictly about money and nothing else.

With this COVID-19 pandemic, and at the time of this writing there are over 500,000 humans testing positive for the coronavirus infection. 1000’s of people have died. I don’t doubt that the world leading scientists and true pharmacological savants are working 24/7 to come up with a cure.

But, it makes me think what happened to all those high profile erectile dysfunction drug companies and the opiod mills where company executives made $BILLIONS completely unchecked. Big Pharma can go to their annual tradeshows and announce – “Congress in our back pocket? CHECK! FDA in o uor back pocket? CHECK! DEA in our back pocket? CHECK!”.

During crises such as this current pandemic, I believe it is natural to reflect on simpler days. Maybe or maybe not they were simpler but, it seems easier to remember the good times which seemed simpler.

Do you know what DTCA is? DTCA is short for Direct-To-Consumer-Advertising and Big Pharma’s first attempts to use television to promote not-really-needed drugs was back in 1981. Prior to that you might see a print ad but drug makers were only marketing to doctors.

In 1981, Merck debuted their first direct-to-consumer print ad promoting pneumonia vaccine. Another company, Boots Pharmaceuticals, met with the FDA and got their pain reliever Rufen, approved for television ad distribution.

Within 48 hours of the ad’s airing, the federal government told the company to take it down. And more than 30 years later, the fight over marketing prescription drugs directly to the public is still raging.

In 1995, the FDA relented and devised a scheme that they felt everyone could live with. The key phrase in the Regulations that they took advantage of was that ads require a brief summary “unless there are adequate means of disseminating the full prescribing information.” So FDA crafted a set of rules that would be considered “adequate means.” The ads would have to have four components: a toll-free number for people to call to obtain the PI, a reference to see a magazine where they were concurrently running a print ad (so the person could read the accompanying brief summary), a Web site where the PI could be found and lastly, instructions to ask your doctor or pharmacist for more complete information – got that? Well, the drug companies sure did, and the rest, as they say, is history.

NSFW – ADULT LANGUAGE AND DISCUSSION

I realize Congress has their hands full right now trying to figure out this stimulus package. BUT, did you know that in 2018, Big Pharma lobbying groups spent a RECORD $28million to Washington D.C. to help influence the Congressman or Senator you voted for – in the continued right to maneuver and create loopholes that show the FDA and DEA are asleep at the wheel in regards to consumer protection.

Maybe this is a good time to remind your elected SERVANT, that DRUG ADS do not belong in television advertising. In fact, The momentum should be that Big Pharma is no longer allowed to market to consumers, ONLY DOCTORS. FDA is totally unaccountable. The DEA are lapdogs. In fact, if you do even a marginal job at the FDA, you can double or triple your salary by working for Big Pharma! By no mistake!
Here is my proposed Call-To-Action – IMMEDIATELY pull all Big Pharma ads on television and print ads as they are no longer welcome in our homes until we find a cure for Covid-19. These Executives might thing they can run and hide out in The Hamptons, but the disease will find you there as well.

Maybe it is time to put your greedy chops aside and see if your company can help humanity!