Disease Proof

Of course they do, we have wallets and in them we have money. What’s not to love? Okay, so you remember last week’s post about the Super Bowl commercial with the guy in the heart suit getting his butted kicked? Now, hopefully when you read it you picked up on my smart-alecky tone. And why was I so annoyed?

Well, the commercial makes it seem like the risk factors for heart disease just sneak up on us. I don’t like that message. Dr. Fuhrman will tell you, chronic conditions don’t just happen. But in my opinion our society is conditioned to believe that they do. I don’t like that either.

So naturally I wasn’t surprised to read this report in The Washington Post. King Pharmaceuticals sponsored that Super Bowl commercial. And according to Sandra G. Boodman they have noble intentions—sorry I just threw up in my mouth a little—here’s some of the article:

The ad -- sponsored by King Pharmaceuticals, which makes a leading blood pressure drug known as Altace -- is designed to nudge viewers to take an online quiz developed jointly by the company and the American Heart Association. The quiz assesses individual risk factors for heart attack, stroke and kidney disease -- all consequences of long-standing hypertension…


… The goal of the ad was to "break through the clutter" and reach the largest possible audience, said Steve Andrzejewski, chief commercial officer for King Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Bristol, Tenn.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe that drug manufacturers have our best interests at heart—no pun intended. The bottom-line is their bottom-line.