DRUG ADVERTISING: ARE THE DRUG COMPANIES LYING TO US?

By: Frank G. AddlemanRegardless if you’re a doctor, a health professional, or just a person who wants some reliable information I think we have all become overloaded with the media hyping of prescription drugs. If the ads are true then the only way to a happy and healthy life is through medication. But are the ads true? What are they really saying to us?What finally flipped me off was a full page ad in the USA TODAY by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. With a three tone color background, a photograph of Dr. Robert Jarvik , the inventor of the artificial heart, there it was in large bold print:LIPITOR REDUCES RISK OF STROKE BY 48. Now that may sound like good news and it would if it were true. In reality it is deceptive at best. Let me break it down and show you how this ad tricks us. 1. The majority of people who read the newspaper don’t read these ads or they may skim them briefly and move on. That’s fine with Pfizer; they know that at some later date, if the subject of strokes comes up in casual conversation you will remember that Lipitor reduces the risk by 48.2. In small print it says that this is only true in patients with type 2 diabetes AND have at least one other risk factor for heart disease including high blood pressure, smoking or complications of diabetes, including eye disease and protein in the urine. I don’t know about you but I think we just eliminated a lot of people who would need Lipitor.3. This is the fun part. Next to 48 in the ad there is an asterisk* which states: “That means in a large clinical study, 2.8 of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a stroke compared to 1.5 of patients taking Lipitor.” That means that 28 out of a 1,000 people who took the sugar pill {did nothing} had a stroke while 15 out of 1,000 taking Lipitor had a stroke. Now we get to the juicy part. There are two types of risk, relative risk reduction {RRR} and absolute risk reduction {ARR}. The difference between 15 and 28 is a relative risk of 48, which the drug companies love to use because it is more impressive. The more important number is the absolute risk which is 1.3, the difference between 2.8 and 1.5. Drug companies don’t like to use the absolute risk because it is not as impressive but that is what researchers use and it is the most important factor. Lets look at it another way. If I told you I could increase your chance of winning the Lottery by 48 would that get your attention? Sure it would. How about 1.3? Not to exciting is it. In other words, if you take Lipitor your have a 1.3 better chance of not getting a second stroke compared to doing nothing.Pfizer ends their ad with this statement: “When diet and exercise alone are not enough adding Lipitor can help.” When diet and exercise are not enough? Diet and exercise are very effective. In fact they can eliminate all the risk factors if the patient will apply themselves to a healthier lifestyle. It is only when the patient does not comply with lifestyle changes that the doctor has to revert to medication. In reality diet and exercise should be the cornerstone in preventing both a stroke and heart disease. The real risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and sedentary living should first be addressed before you become dependent of prescription drugs. The next time you see your doctor ask, “What can I do to prevent having to take a drug?” Always ask your doctor what the absolute risk is for any medication you are considering. If they look at you with a blank stare and say, “What is absolute risk? then they have not done their home work

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