With Big Pharma allegedly “cooperating” with President Obama’s health care reforms, and Congress wanting to limit drug advertising, might it pay to refresh our memories about how we got here in the first place?
It's time for a quiz.
The first to get all answers correct - via posted response - will receive a free copy of my book, Generation Rx, and a free sample of Adderall (*).
1. Who initiated the law suit that led to the ability of pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers (DTC)?
- Robert Bork
- Robert Redford
- Johnnie Cochran
- Ralph Nader
2. Which 1976 commentator on direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs concluded that “The societal interest against the promotion of drug use for every ill, real or imaginary, seems to me extremely strong”?
- The AMA
- The American Pharmacy Association
- Justice William Rehnquist
- Justice Harry Blackmun
3.The book that inspired a generation of young ad executives to find a way to advertise prescription drugs was written by:
- A onetime ad executive turned priest
- A onetime priest turned activist
- A onetime activist turned priest
- A onetime activist turned ad executive
4. The reason the AMA came to support DTC advertising was because:
- They thought it was a great idea
- They thought they would get sued for restraint of trade it they didn’t
- Men were not taking their anti-baldness medication properly
- a and b
- b and c
5. Who told a Congressional panel, in 1983, that “we believe direct advertising to the consumer introduces a very real possibility of causing harm to patients who may respond to advertisements by pressuring physicians to prescribe medications that may not be required.”
- The chairman of the FTC
- The chairman of Abbott Laboratories
- The head of the FDA
- The head of the Consumer’s Union
6. In the same hearings, who said “The potential pressures of public advertising of prescription drugs on the scientific decisions of the physician are both unwise and inappropriate.”
- The chief of the FDA
- The chief of Eli Lilly
- The chief of the Sioux Nation
- The chief of the House Committee on Science and Commerce
7. Who, in 1983, first proposed that the FDA roll back its regulation and allow drugs to be advertised?
- The chairman of the FTC
- The chairman of Abbott Laboratories
- The head of the FDA
- The head of the Consumer’s Union
8. In 1983, which of these told a gathering of the nation’s most powerful medical ad executives that ad people were “among the most creative and knowledgeable people to be found anywhere in our society.”
- Arthur Hull Hayes, the head of the FDA
- Ronald Reagan
- Bill Clinton
- Bruce Springsteen
9. In 2002, George W Bush appointed which of the following as general counsel of the FDA—the agency’s most powerful legal position?
- Joe Brown, a former litigator for the Consumer’s Union
- Dan Troy, a former litigator for Pfizer and the Brown and Williamson tobacco company
- Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal
10. The single most effective push for DTC came from:
- Big pharma CEOs
- The networks
- Advertising trade groups
- Washington lawyers
- Karl Rove
11. In 2003, what did the head of Pfizer pharmaceuticals say was the key for the industry’s future success?
- That “we should push as hard as we can to get patients to talk to their doctors about our newest drugs?
- That “we should give patients good solid facts and encourage them to use logic to make their decisions.”
- That “Pharma must move toward the emotional way of marketing, because in that way we can move towards the spiritual-ethical method…”
- That pharma should “really think about free Krispy Kreme coupons as a way of encouraging sales.”
12. In 2004 the outgoing head of the FDA was:
- A trained pediatrician
- A trained pharmacist
- A trained veterinarian
- An untrained proctologist
13. “We cultivate a company with an extreme tolerance for mavericks,” is the catchphrase most associated with which industry leader?
- Former Glaxo chief Jean Paul Garnier
- Current Microsoft chief Bill Gates
- Current Virgin Airlines chief Richard Branson
- Dino Brachitutto, chief of a key New Jersey crime syndicate
14. Viagra, the so-called Pfizer Riser, can cause:
- Loss of sight
- Loss of hearing
- Loss of keys
- Loss of wife
15.Today, most new prescription drugs are expected to show profitability within:
- 90 days
- 120 days
- one year
- three years
16. To find out how to best pitch their new asthma drug, Glaxo recruited physicians who treat asthmatic patients and got them to:
- Go to a free asthmatics lap dance party
- Give them copies of confidential patient records
- Make collages depicting their “feelings” toward asthma
- Make funny phone calls to patients with asthma as a theme
17. According to the leading scholar on the subject of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder ( ADD), Ritalin, a stimulant, became the leading treatment for ADD because:
- It was effective
- It was safe
- It was not called amphetamines
- It made you happy
18. On college campuses, what is the “California Cocktail?”
- A combination of tequila, orange juice, and ecstasy
- A combination of botox and tanning lotion
- A combination of Neurontin ( an anti-epilipetic), Wellbutrin ( an anti-depressant), and Ritalin.
- A combo of beer and marijuana
19. In 2002, who said “We are entering what could be the golden age for kids and pharmaceuticals?”
- The head of PhRMA, the powerful pharmaceutical lobby
- The head of Eli Lilly
- The head of Pfizer
- The head of the drug committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics
20. Rush Limbaugh’s experience with opiate addiction proves, contrary to the radio celebrity’s hard line against drug use, that:
- You can indeed work when you are high
- That addiction has nothing to do with moral failings
- That opiates work on conservatives and liberals alike
- All of the above
21. The percentage of Americans over the age of 65 who take at least one—and up to four—prescriptions drug on a daily basis is:
- 20 percent
- 40 percent
- 60 percent
- 75 percent
22. In 2002—two years before it was forced to withdraw its blockbuster drug Vioxx—Merck learned that a Spanish medical journal had raised serious questions about the company’s clinical trials for the drug and its safety. Merck’s response was to:
- Learn all it could about the data and invite the researcher to help devise a better trial
- Try to deny the facts with its own internal data
- Admit that it was wrong
- Sue the researcher and the journal
23. There are __ drug sales reps in the US, about one for every five physicians:
- 10,000
- 20,000
- 50,000
- 90,000
24. In 2005, about __ percent of all Continuing Medical Education for physicians was paid for by pharma:
- 25
- 50
- 75
- 90
25. Pharmaceutical companies nixed President Bush’s own favored candidate for head of the FDA because:
- The man was a “brie-eating liberal”
- The man was “too aggressive” on drug safety issues
- He had a beard
- He hadn’t donated to the President’s campaign
26. In ancient Greece, “pharmakon” meant:
- An untrustworthy agricultural worker
- A reformed criminal
- A delicious beverage
- Both “remedy” and “poison”
27. The day after the FDA announced that Pfizer's blockbuster pain pill Celebrex was associated with increased risk for heart attacks, Pfizer posted the following on the home page of its website:
- A special announcement that the company was sorry and that it would refund the amount of all current Celebrex prescriptions
- A special sweepstakes offering a "Free Royal Caribbean Getaway" to anyone who registered their name and personal information with the site
- A special "two-fer," do-it-until-you-drop coupon for Viagra and Celebrex
- None of the above
- All of the above
NOTES: (*) Adderall offer not available to anyone who reads this website. Please use psychostimulants responsibly while reading, writing or conducting science.
1. Ralph Nader
2. Justice William Rehnquist
3. A onetime activist turned ad executive (Gary Null)
4. Both A&B - They thought it was a great idea, and they thought they would get sued for restraint of trade it they didn’t
5. The chairman of Abbott Laboratories
6. The chief of Eli Lilly
7. The head of the FDA
8. Arthur Hull Hayes, the head of the FDA
9. Dan Troy, a former litigator for Pfizer and the Brown and Williamson tobacco company
10. Washington lawyers
11. That “we should push as hard as we can to get patients to talk to their doctors about our newest drugs?
12. None of the above – he’s an internist
13. Former Glaxo chief Jean Paul Garnier
14. Changes to color vision
15. Three years (although some reps say 1 year)
16. Make collages depicting their “feelings” toward asthma
17. It was not called amphetamines
18. A combination of Neurontin ( an anti-epilipetic), Wellbutrin ( an anti-depressant), and Ritalin.
19. The head of PhRMA, the powerful pharmaceutical lobby
20. All of the above
21. 75 percent
22. Sue the researcher and the journal
23. 90,000
24. 90
25. The man was “too aggressive” on drug safety issues
26. Both “remedy” and “poison”
27. A special sweepstakes offering a "Free Royal Caribbean Getaway" to anyone who registered their name and personal information with the site