How often have you seen advertisements promoting medications for depression, high blood pressure, or diabetes? Each year drug companies spend over six billion dollars on television, print, and internet advertisements. These advertisements, known as direct-to-consumer (DTCA) advertising, may include very persuasive claims. But should these claims always be believed?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was first created to enforce the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. In this capacity, the FDA is charged with protecting the health of the US public, to ensure the quality of its food, medicine, and cosmetics. Before this time, the United States government had no formal oversight of these products and left issues of quality and purity to the individual manufactures, or at times, individual states.
Have you heard the term “patent medicine”? This term first appeared in England during the early 1700’s to identify medications created for the royal family. These medications were awarded “patents of royal favor” to promote their quality. In the United States although similar medications were not regulated or patented by the government, the name “patent medication” was still used.
Medication advertisements are everywhere! We see them on TV, printed in magazines, and appearing when we surf the web. Are you looking to treat your aching back? Or maybe, you would like to finally have a restful nights sleep? Whatever you are looking for, chances are there is an advertisement out there for a medication that might just be the answer to your problem.
