Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12991
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: news
Parker-Pope T.
‘Saturday Night Live’ Takes On Drug Ads
The New York Times 2008 Feb 25
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/saturday-night-live-takes-on-drug-ads/
Full text:
At a time when the drug industry is facing increasing scrutiny from Congress and the public, the cast of “Saturday Night Live” has weighed in with a hilarious spoof of television drug ads.
The “commercial,” modeled after the real advertising campaign for the birth control pill Seasonale, touts a fake pill, Annuale. The spoof uses similar pill packaging, actors and even the same pink chairs, sneakers and yoga mats depicted in the real ad. Watch the video, posted below, for the over-the-top punchline. One of the funniest lines is in the list of “side effects” that rolls across the screen at the end of the ad.
“Do not take Annuale if you plan to ever become pregnant, as it may turn your baby into a firemonster,‘’ the ad says. “In the days around your period, you may develop a leathery tail.‘’
The send-up comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of the estimated $5 billion that pharmaceutical giants spend on drug ads aimed at consumers. A Congressional committee is investigating ads for Lipitor, the best-selling drug in the country. An article in The Times earlier this month reported on the appearance of artificial heart pioneer Dr. Robert Jarvik in ads for Lipitor, including the use of a stunt double in scenes that appeared to show Dr. Jarvik sculling. Pfizer has announced it will drop the campaign. The cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin also has been heavily advertised on television, but earlier this year the results of a clinical trial showed it didn’t work any better than a cheaper generic.
Here’s the video:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=221774&dst=nbc|widget|NBC%20Video&__source=nbc|widget|NBC%20Video
