For the past week I’ve been watching a TV series from the 2010’s on Amazon Prime Freevee. The show has a palatable plot, a decent cast and is mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, Freevee has commercials during the show which will eventually get me to quit watching.
Some of the commercials promote other Amazon Prime shows. Those are annoying, but reasonable. The bulk of the commercials are from pharmaceutical companies touting the latest expensive, new drug. You know the kind – If you suffer from plax psoriasis…ask your doctor about xyz... followed by a hyper-speed, lower volume warning about severe side effects up to and including death.
These commercials are relentless. What I do is step away from the screen while they run and do dishes, brush my teeth, fold laundry or something else until they finish.
I am the wrong target for these commercials.
First, I don’t have a doctor.
Second, I would never ask a doctor about the latest, highly advertised drug because I know it would be the most expensive.
Third, it’s all bullshit. I don’t trust the drug companies.
You see, I remember commercials in the past for the “miracle” pain reliever Vioxx (which gave 88,000 people heart attacks and killed 38,000). I know all about Oxycontin and the addiction and deaths and disruption it caused. Now there are studies reporting that the entire “theory” around antidepressants is bogus.
When my wife was undergoing lung cancer treatment, I read drug trial studies on PubMed for the first time in my life. I was shocked to read about drugs on the market that were supported by a trial of a handful of people. More than once, I read about a drug that claimed it “increased life expectancy by xx%“. When I dug into the study, it showed that out of 10 people, the drug users lived a few months longer. The xx% was technically accurate but quite misleading in its purported benefits. And of course, the treatment cost was exorbitant and the side effects horrific.
So here’s what will happen. Sometime in the next few days, I’ll stop watching this show. The commercials will drive me away.
Amazon won’t care.
Big Pharma won’t care.
It won’t make a difference to anyone at all.
Except me.