Many pharmaceutical companies advertise their medications on television and the radio. Some people say this is inappropriate, as it can lead to people seeking prescriptions, rather than diagnosing the root problem. Others believe it is important to spread awareness for all solutions.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Aggressive publicity of medicinal products has become ubiquitous, raising ethical concerns arising out of this practice promoting faulty self-analysis and misuse, but there is some advocacy too, on grounds of enlightenment these initiatives create. Thus, it becomes imperative to critically analyze the merits of both aspects.
Heralding availability of drugs is blamed for jeopardising public health by encouraging unnecessary consumption, and predisposing users to unwarranted complications. Advertisements of medicines notoriously coax consumers into believing the products being safe, and offering panacea for several medical conditions, often deepening engagement; exposing many to side-effects. To corroborate, all forms of media are overflowing with ads of cough syrups, promising an instant relief from sore throat and bad cold, but making many, especially afflicted by neuro complications, vulnerable to severe medical conditions, like brain strokes.
Moreover, this is bound to have an enduring impact on the wellness of the ones afflicted with serious illnesses: they start forgoing the formally prescribed therapeutic interventions, and switch to advertised remedies, which can exacerbate the disease, and threaten life also. To corroborate, during the pandemic in 2020, more perished by consuming remedies advertised as effective cure than succumbing to Covid itself.
However, the only consolation of this policy is informing people about the symptoms of ailments and disorders, even the subtle ones, along with the description of treatment. Many admit, particularly those suffering from issues such as depression, have started realizing their medical conditions, and started discussing them more openly without inhibitions, and seeking appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Overall, although it might be impossible to completely outlaw advertisements featuring medications, drug manufacturers presenting adverts of medications must be reined in, by regulating the content, to help prevent unethical practices; unrestrained advertising could menace public health, and make people susceptible to dire health consequences.
