Post-Menopausal Pregnancies?
So….I was watching tv tonight and saw an ad for evista which starts out saying, “You’re a postmenopausal woman treating osteoporosis…” It is filled with women who all appear to be over 50 years of age. Later, I hear a warning stating, “… if you’re pregnant..’ and my brain said, “Say, what???”
So, I looked at the website for it, which is basically the same thing as the commercial.
From the site: “As a postmenopausal woman, now is the time to take charge of your health.” On the bottom of the main page, it also says, “You should not take EVISTA if you are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant, as it may harm your baby.”
Sigh…..
Unfortunately, the FDA makes these ridiculous rules that drug companies have to comply with in order to get their ads on the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if the advertiser was as bewildered by the warning as you were. Evista has another indication for women at high risk from breast cancer who may or may not be postmenopausal. My guess is that the warning is for those women, not the ones taking the drug for osteoporosis.
I looked briefly to see if there was mention of the drug for women of younger age when I saw the ad. I didn’t see anything obvious. Even so, that just shows how poorly the advertising agency did in checking their ad for accuracy.
Another thing that strikes me as absurd about these ads as the forced warnings… is the number of side-affects that so many of these drugs have. This one seems particularly scary dangerous.
I can’t imagine where the companies think they can get by with making drugs that are so dangerous. It’s the same as a car maker saying, “In 5 out of 100 of our cars, you may experience gas tank explosions, decapitation by airbag, or random loss of steering control which may send you careening off an overpass. Please consult your dealer for explanation of your risks.”
I actually don’t think the advertising agency has anything to do with those warnings. They are most likely handed the FDA approved language and told to make it work in the ads. I’m sure the agency and perhaps even the drug company themselves noticed the obvious disconnect between their target and the warning.
You might be right about the warnings. I’m skeptical, however, when I think about some of the advertising that gets put out these days.