The New York Times provides even more questions and answers about the Lipitor ads starring artificial heart inventor Dr. Robert Jarvik.
The Times reports:
"...it has helped rekindle a smoldering debate over whether it is appropriate to aim ads for prescription drugs directly at consumers.A Congressional committee, concerned that the Lipitor ads could be misleading, has said it wants to interview Dr. Jarvik about his role as the drug’s pitchman.
Some of the questions may involve his credentials. Even though Dr. Jarvik holds a medical degree, for example, he is not a cardiologist and is not licensed to practice medicine. So what, critics ask, qualifies him to recommend Lipitor on television — even if, as he says in some of the ads, he takes the drug himself?
And, for that matter, what qualifies him to pose as a rowing enthusiast? As it turns out, Dr. Jarvik, 61, does not actually practice the sport. The ad agency hired a stunt double for the sculling scenes."
Meantime, the Los Angeles Times has a column on a new ad campaign for a sleep disorder pill:
You'd probably be interested in a drug that'll keep you peppy even when you're running on fumes.How about a drug that can cause depression, anxiety, hallucinations, psychosis, mania and suicidal thoughts? How about chest pain, sores or serious rashes?
You had to sift through the fine print of full-page newspaper ads that ran coast to coast last week to learn that these drugs are one and the same. The ads were for Provigil, which its maker, Cephalon Inc., is pitching to consumers as the solution for something many people might not even realize is a disorder: excessive sleepiness.
Provigil, the ads said, can help "fight the fog."
Next time I find the urge to go rowing through the fog on an early morning after a sleepless night, I hope I can find a stunt double.