In creating her own imagined alternative, Randall is more likely to boost interest in GWTW than to steal any wind from its sales. Tighten rules for prescription drug ads The Food and Drug Administration's decision to consider tightening guidelines for prescription drug television ads is long overdue. The FDA announced this week that it will commission surveys of patients and doctors in order to find out whether the ads are causing patients to get drugs they don't need or shouldn't be taking. The ads are actually padding the profits of the drug companies, mostly at patients' expense. Though the FDA isn't likely to bar the ads, it could impose much tougher guidelines.
Some doctors cave in to patient pressure to prescribe an advertised drug.
Others say the commercials create an environment in which patients are more likely to sue physicians for not prescribing it, even if benefits are marginal. Drug costs, which increased 20 percent last year, are a growing problem for the uninsured, the underinsured and older Americans. Yet, a quick look at patients with heart disease or AIDS reinforces the necessity of modern drug regimens for health and longevity. While most individuals employed by large corporations have drug coverage, many small business workers and elderly Americans do not. That's because only giant insurers and HMOs can negotiate bulk prices for commonly used drugs.