A team of medical researchers affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has found that a high percentage of doctors posting endorsements regarding drugs on the social media site X were paid to do so by the makers of the drugs.
Why would a doctor publicly endorse drugs at all? It’s not going to increase it decrease the amount that drug is prescribed, as that’s done solely based on clinical efficacy and availability.
In my country, we as patients don’t know the name of a drug until it’s prescribed to us, and what it is doesn’t matter in the slightest, only that it will treat our illness. Doctors don’t decide what drug to prescribe based on how popular it is with other high profile Doctors…
It’s not like picking out what brand of toothpaste you’re going to use. Advertising doesn’t factor in whatsoever. This is the healthcare service, not a business.
Not all drugs are prescription drugs. And I’d bet that you could ask your doctor for a specific one, at least in some places. And, last but not least, I’m sure doctors follow such influencers as well, which makes them targets for ads too.
I can see doing it for things like vaccines or narcan. But if you’re a medical professional and you’re being paid to endorse, say, opioids, you should have your license revoked.
Why would a doctor publicly endorse drugs at all? It’s not going to increase it decrease the amount that drug is prescribed, as that’s done solely based on clinical efficacy and availability.
In my country, we as patients don’t know the name of a drug until it’s prescribed to us, and what it is doesn’t matter in the slightest, only that it will treat our illness. Doctors don’t decide what drug to prescribe based on how popular it is with other high profile Doctors…
It’s not like picking out what brand of toothpaste you’re going to use. Advertising doesn’t factor in whatsoever. This is the healthcare service, not a business.
Not all drugs are prescription drugs. And I’d bet that you could ask your doctor for a specific one, at least in some places. And, last but not least, I’m sure doctors follow such influencers as well, which makes them targets for ads too.
I can see doing it for things like vaccines or narcan. But if you’re a medical professional and you’re being paid to endorse, say, opioids, you should have your license revoked.