Major pharmaceutical companies from around the world are called “Big Pharma” because together they rake in billions of dollars in profits each year at the expense of those who are sick and need the medications that they offer in order to manage their illnesses. And the worst part about it all is that most people who purchase pharmaceutical medications don’t even realize what is happening to them or how dangerous most of the pills are for their health. Luckily, this can be changed by reading the following educational information on how Big Pharma deceives you about drug safety.
Constant Commercials and Advertisements
Those who sit down to watch their favorite television show or read a magazine in the evening each night are hit with a flood of commercials and advertisements for the newest pharmaceutical medications that are out on the market. What this Big Pharma tactic does is make consumers think that their current medications are not as good as the new ones that are being offered. So they quickly ask their doctor if they can switch over to them. By law, pharmaceutical companies have to mention any dangerous side effects that the medications could cause though. But they either put this information in very fine print that can’t easily be seen or they add it in as an afterthought to the end of the commercial. That way, the dangers seem minimized to the consumers.
Deceptive Marketing Tactics
Big Pharma companies spend millions of dollars on each television commercial that they air to ensure that it is full of soft, fuzzy characters that represent the illnesses that people are suffering with. Then, they add in some well-known public figures, such as singers and movie stars, to gain attention and encourage the public to trust that their medications are safe and effective. These deceptive marketing tactics do little to improve Big Pharma drug safety though. In fact, they mostly make it worse. Instead of focusing on making better drugs, they put all of their time and effort into selling bad products that cause side effects that are often more dangerous than the illnesses that people have.
Encouraging Doctor Involvement
Those who believe that they can trust their doctor to prescribe them only safe medications should think again. Pharmaceutical representatives are constantly visiting doctor’s offices to either encourage them to prescribe only specific medications to their patients or offer them free samples to try. Unfortunately, some of the medications, such as strong pain-killers and antidepressants, are highly addictive though. Or they produce such terrible symptoms when someone stops taking them that they have no choice but to start paying for a regular prescription of the pills just to be able to get enough of them to avoid the discomfort. And the sickening part is that the doctors often make a sizable sum of money in return for this favor to Big Pharma.
Big Pharma Drug Safety
These are just three of the methods that Big Pharma uses to encourage the sales of their products and deceive everyone about Big Pharma drug safety. There are many more. Because of this, it is important that anyone who is prescribed a medication by their doctor get the facts straight before they ever spend a penny on it. Many on-line health companies offer this information for free.