Introduction
In a quest for a better life, the human race has recognized that health and vitality are key components to an ideal life. It is for this reason that man is constantly trying to find ways to improve and even prolong their lives. New drugs are developed regularly to find solutions to the ever-rising ailments that humans are prone to. These drugs have found their way to the masses and in as much as some of them have worked; there is documented proof that others have otherwise been fatal to the patients. In a bid to ensure and protect public health, the government has put in place a food and drug regulatory board (FDA) which ensures that all products are market worthy before they are sold. This board is in charge of ensuring quality is supplied to the clients with no bias or deception from the producers and suppliers as well. They do this by setting both marketing and advertising requirements to ensure that the clients have ample and genuine information on the product before they buy and use them. This paper aims at evaluating the regulations set for advertising prescription drugs all the while citing examples as to whether they are applied or evident in most drug advertisements.
According to the code of federal regulations title 21 part 202, all prescription drugs advertisements must contain the following information before they are aired to the public. Firstly the ingredient information required by the governing act must appear together without any other distorting matter other than the proprietary names of ingredients. Secondly, the order in which the ingredients and their respective quantities appear in the advertisement must be the same order used on the label of the product. Thirdly, the advertisement may not use fancy names which imply that the ingredients or drug are uniquely effective or made especially if the ingredients used are common substances. In addition to this, the advertisement may not include ingredients that are not used in the formulation of the drugs. Finally the advertisement may not use names that are closely related in spelling or pronunciation as those of another established drug or ingredient.
Ortho Tri-Cyclen’Lo Advertisement Evaluation
This drug is available in tablets form and is produced exclusively by Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It is an oral contraceptive drug used by women in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. The drug is available to women of all ages who opt for pills as a birth control method. However, women who smoke or have certain cancers and blood clots are discouraged to use this drug because it may increase the risk of these conditions getting worse. In addition to this, pregnant women or those with a history of heart diseases are strongly advised to steer clear of the drug.
The advertisement does not fully meet the requirements of the FDA. On the home page, they talk about side effects of all pills but do not mention specifically which ones are likely from this drug. The site also fails to provide easy access to information about the ingredients used in making the product. In addition to this, the choice of words on this advertisement is to some extent deceiving. For example, while the advertisement does insist that the drug is used by millions of women as a reliable means of birth control and predictable monthly periods, it fails to provide documented statistics for these claims. The claims made by the advertisement are also scientifically dismissible due to their vagueness. Further on, there is no picture of the product or diagrammatic representation of the same. The main focus of the advertisement is simply to encourage the targeted users buy this product. This is because most of the content is about how effective the drug is, the discounts available upon buying the drug, how to use it and methods that can be used to ensure that the user does not forget or miss taking the drug. The information required by the FDA is then briefly posted below each page.
The first thing that you notice upon visiting the pages (tabs) of this advertisement is the posted pictures of smiling middle aged women who share a brief testimony of their satisfaction derived from the drug. This gives the reader a sense of guaranteed comfort and safety towards the drug. The targeted clientele is generally middle aged women who prefer these oral contraceptives and are not likely married. The content of the advertisement makes you feel confident and above all positive about the reliability of the drug. However more information about the drug should be readily available especially detailed description of the ingredients used and the likely side effects that can be obtained as a result of using the drug. An answer should also be provided for as to whether constant use of the drug may have negative implications to the reproductive cycle in future.
Viagra Advertisement Evaluation
It is an oral drug in form of tablets that is produced by Pfizer Inc. it is commonly used to treat erectile dysfunctions (ED). As such it is a prescription drug that targets men who suffer from premature ejaculation, loss of hardness or with a generally low sexual libido. However, men over the age of 65 are to seek medical advice before using the drug, those using nitrates are also not supposed to use Viagra as it may lower their blood pressure, those taking protease inhibitors or have serious liver and kidney problems are advised to seek medical consultation and use lower doses of the drug within a specified period of time (25mg within 48hrs) or simply not to use this drug.
The advertisement for Viagra meets all the requirements stipulated by the FDA. On the home page, safety information is clearly presented. Also, the known side effects of the drug are mentioned in detail and advice on what to do is offered. In addition to this the words used are sincere and the statistics are definite. It says that 20 million men have asked for medical advice on using Viagra. The name is unique, and there is a picture of how the drug looks like (blue diamond shaped drug with the name Pfizer on it). Also the information about the name and contact of the producers is clearly stated and easily accessible. To add on this, the advertisement focuses mainly on the safety information and other information required by the FDA. This is evident throughout each page. The information required takes up about two thirds of each page. Finally the advertisement is very well organized. The tabs are arranged in such a way that they help you learn about the drug, what is it used for, evaluate whether you need them and if you do, how to go about getting a prescription and finally how to take the drug in terms of dosage and timing.
The advertisement contains pictures of men aged over 40 years. They are all smiling indicating confidence towards the drug. Also it contains a picture of the drug which avoids the customer from confusing it with other drugs that serve the same purpose. These pictures and the detailed information about the drug make the client feel confident and at the same time give you a brief overview of what to expect upon using it. As you go through the advertisement, the images make you think about how the drug will assist you achieve the best results. In addition to this, they assure you of ultimate satisfaction all the while arousing positive feelings towards recovering from your preexisting condition and a chance of sexual normalcy. However, more information should be availed concerning which other health conditions could be affected by use of the drug.
Lunesta Advertisement Evaluation
Lunesta is a trademarked drug produced exclusively by Sepracor Inc. it is used to treat a sleep disorder known as insomnia which is characterized by lack of sleep or general sleep discomforts. It should be used by adults above the age of 18 years who manifest these characteristics. It however nay not be used by people who have suicidal thoughts, liver problems or even women who are or want to be pregnant. In addition to this, it should not be prescribed to patients with allergic tendencies and drug abuse or those who are taking other drugs to treat insomnia.
The advertisement for this drug to some extent does not meet the requirements stipulated by the FDA. For starters they have not stated the ingredients used in making it yet they claim it is important to know so as to avoid allergic reactions. Also the information about the drugs is very deceiving, confusing and vague. For example, the advertisement states that the drug acts quickly giving you a peaceful night and the sleep that you deserve. This means that you will fall asleep but then again it says that you may do things without your full knowledge making it dangerous. The advert also suggest that after taking the drug one should have eight hours of uninterrupted sleep or if not, they should they should avoid activities such as driving or operating machinery. This should continue until the drug user knows how the drug reacts on them. From this admission, it is clear that the company has not done enough research on the drug to confidently advice on the side effects or even who should use the drug and who shouldn’t. In addition to this, information about the producers is not sufficient on the homepage meaning that you have to look for it on other tabs which again is a hard task and process especially if one visited the website out of curiosity.
However, the main focus of the advertisement is indeed as per the requirements of the FDA. In as much as it is manipulative and inconclusive, it has provided all the information required by the board as pertaining to advertising a prescription drug. The advertisement has the same image of a woman who seems to be peacefully asleep on all the tabs. This image gives the viewer a sense of hope for a solution to their condition, and to some extent reminds them of those peaceful nights they used to have before the condition started. Also it makes you think about how good it will be after the drug has taken its effect. In addition to this, it makes the viewer generate a positive attitude towards the drug therefore seeing the side effects of the same as a worthy price to pay. Despite all this, there is still a lot that need to be addressed in this advert. First of all there should be testimonials from other users about the effectiveness of the drugs, also the advert should focus more on giving solutions other than contradicting themselves with words and raising doubts to their clients about the true nature of the product.
Conclusion
From this exercise, I have learnt how to check for genuine products from their adverts and the requirements that are necessary before posting an advert. I have also felt the impact and value of the words and images used in advertisements and I now know how each factor contributes towards the sale of the products. As a result of this thorough analysis of the products in question, I have come to fully grasp the importance of the FDA as it pertains to our health safety as a nation. Without such regulatory boards, our fates would otherwise lie on the hands of profit driven and deceptive co operations that are blinded by numbers instead of what is most important; our health as a nation.
Works Cited
FDA “Code of Federal Regulations title 21.” 2001 Web.
Lunesta “About Lunesta”. 2006 Web.
The pill “About Ortho tri-Cyclen’lo.” 2007 Web.
Viagra. “About VIAGRA”. 2009 Web.