There are only two countries on the face of the earth which allow the advertising of prescription drugs directly to the consumer – the United States of America and New Zealand.
The first prescription drug ad in the U.S. was broadcast on 19 May, 1983. The drug was the pain reliever, Rufen.
The pharmaceutical lobby is today the biggest lobby in America having spent $5.8 billion from 1998 through 2023. Among their other notable successes is the prohibition on re-importing prescription drugs by anyone except the U.S. manufacturer itself. Drugs manufactured in American are frequently sold overseas at prices much cheaper than the selling price in the U.S. Another successful lobbying effort prohibited Medicare from negotiating the price of drugs with the drug companies mandating that the taxpayers had to pay whatever the company decided. Recently, a few drugs have been exempted from that restriction.
This year a new category of drugs has flooded the media. Those drugs do not treat the condition, rather they make the treatment drug more effective.
In the U.S. the cost of prescription drugs is generally shared by the government, private insurance, and the patient. In New Zealand, the cost of a prescription is five dollars. Those below14 and those 65 or older pay nothing. Another bit of trivia – in New Zealand everyone, including tourists, does not pay for treatment resulting from an accident.
Medical scholars are in general agreement that we are the most over-medicated country in the world. In fact, if you are upset by what you have read above…there is probably a pill for that.
Author: Staff
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