Prescription consumers

Monday, Feb. 11, 2008 | 2:01 a.m.

A TV advertisement for a cholesterol-lowering drug that features artificial-heart pioneer Dr. Robert Jarvik has raised questions about whether it is appropriate for a well-known doctor to market a prescription drug directly to consumers.

In the ad for Lipitor, which is manufactured by Pfizer, Jarvik is shown participating in active outdoor pursuits that include rowing a one-person racing boat across a pristine mountain lake. He says Lipitor can significantly lower cholesterol “when diet and exercise isn’t enough.”

The problem, critics say, is that Jarvik isn’t the man rowing the boat. It’s a stunt double. And the portions of the ad that show Jarvik rowing were filmed using a rowing machine on a platform, The New York Times reported last week.

Jarvik holds a medical degree but is not a cardiologist and does not hold a license to practice any type of medicine, the Times report added. His main qualification for promoting Lipitor, he says, is that he takes it himself.

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are reviewing the ads to determine whether they go too far in giving the public a false impression. Committee Chairman Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., told the Times that it appears Pfizer’s “No. 1 priority is to sell lots of Lipitor, by whatever means necessary, including misleading the American people.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does require that drug ads include information about possible risks and side effects, and the agency prohibits “false and misleading” statements. Drug companies also are supposed to submit their ads to the FDA for review, although such reviews do not occur before the ads are made public.

The FDA is charged with reviewing drug ads for accuracy, so it ought to be doing so — before the advertisements go public.

Still, consumers must remember that the sole purpose of advertising is to sell as much of whatever is being marketed as possible. As always, buyer beware.