I continue to notice some things about TV commercials over the past few months. I wonder if anyone else has as well.

1.  I’d hazard a guess that at least two thirds of all network TV advertisements, maybe more, involve Big Pharma drugs hawked to would-be patients. Many hawk incredibly esoteric drugs to treat extremely unusual and relatively rare diseases. Once approved and marketed, several companies have shown that huge profits can be made on orphan drugs despite small numbers of potentially treatable patients. Gross profit margins of over 80% are reported in the rare disease industry, whereas the pharmaceutical industry average is 16%. Those ads exhort watchers to “ask your doctor if these drugs might be right for you”. Any of those specialists dealing with those diseases would intimately know these drugs well and would certainly not need reminding from potential patients watching TV ads. Big Pharma must be making a bundle off these expensive TV ads, or they wouldn’t be promoting them.

3.  Over-the-counter commercials are taking a lot more liberty with the truth than even a few years ago.  Best of all is a memory aid promoted by new “Jeopardy” host Mayim Bialik- “Neuriva Plus” as the brain supplement that “thinks bigger” so you can too”.  Mayim says, “I’m a real neuroscientist and I like the science behind Neuriva”. But because these supplements are OTC, they not required to undergo testing to show exactly how they work in the body.

So, the issue of Dr. Bialik being a “real neuroscientist” bears some examination. Yes, she has a PhD in “neuroscience” but it’s unclear exactly what that is. She’s not a physician, nor is she an accredited researcher. She’s an actress and has done nothing detectable with her PhD. Zero publications, no teaching at any college level and no lab work. Her esoteric dissertation has nothing to do with memory and she has no peer reviewed references in her dissertation. She’s written a Vegan cookbook. Recently, the manufacturer was forced to withdraw claims that Neuriva is science and clinically proven. In her research, she might have overlooked a March 27, 2020, article in Psychology Today by Gary L. Wenk, Ph.D. Author of Your Brain on Food. He called it snake oil.

3.  Three older guys in white coats sitting around surmising what the best analgesics for their patients in pain might be. On the nearest one, you can see “MD” on his name tag, but his actual Christian name is obscured. They all agree that their pained patients should all be using “Salonpas gel analgesic” (OTC).  The active ingredient is diclofenac sodium 1% gel, absorbed through the skin. Brand name Voltaren. It’s been around in one form or another since the 60s. 

Diclofenac is a NSAID like all the rest. There is no convincing evidence that absorbable diclofenac is any more effective in that route than any other NSAID taken orally. The same risks apply, none of which are mentioned by our three would-be physicians concerned with their patient’s pain issues.  A similar drug, rofecoxib (Vioxx), in the same non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug family as diclofenac, was voluntarily taken off the market by its manufacturer in 2004 amid concerns over associated heart risks. There is an ongoing Europe-wide review of diclofenac’s safety. Evidence is lacking to determine the effectiveness of topical NSAIDs compared with oral NSAIDs.

4.  The worst. Endless, run-on ads exhorting social security recipients to call a number seeking to determine if they aren’t getting SS benefits, they deserve because the Medicare agency is intentionally withholding that information. Such has-been stars as Broadway Joe Namath and the former “Good Times” actor Jimmy Walker gleefully hyping the 800 number. Several things about this intensely misleading ad. First, if you watch closely, you’ll see that all these extra pie-in-the-sky SS benefits are never added on to Part A and B of Medicare benefits for free. They’re “available” for extra cash outlay, sometimes a lot of it. The ad doesn’t say you’ll get any of these extra benefits, dental, optical, free rides to doctors’ offices and such.  It says that the phone call to find out if any of these things are “available” is free.  The talking heads (fully compensated, BTW) don’t say they got anything. They say they’re glad they made the call. Down in the fine print, it states that callers will be put through to a licensed insurance salesperson (to sell the caller extra benefits.)

A compensated talking head- “I Called the 800 Number to See What Extra Medicare Benefits I Could Get – An Actual Person Answered Looked Up My Zip Code”. That talking head neglects to say any other benefits were accessed. There are a lot of government regulations associated with Medicare and looking up a zip code does not necessarily mean extra benefits are in the works. “The 2021 Medicare Helpline is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of any government agency or program”. A “licensed sales agent” will sadly let you know you’re not eligible for any of this, but they’ll be happy to sell them you.

4.  Over-the-counter back pain aids are in a class by themselves. The one that floats quickly to the top is “Salonpas” pain patch, a masterpiece of the effectiveness of placebo effect. This is a patch of 5% lidocaine placed on the lower back, said to decrease low back pain. Many sing its praises. In fact, the skin is a very effective barrier to things just like lidocaine, which never gets deeper than a few millimeters, nowhere near the strained muscles. If there were enough real lidocaine soaking into the muscles of the back, the patient would be seizing from toxicity. In fact, low back pain has a very potent psychological angle to it. An article a while back in one of the journals looked at the long-term effectiveness of Physical Therapy, Chiropractic, Orthopedics and good ole family doctor treatment. The results were identical if enough time went by.