Bextra and Vioxx Withdrawal Spawn Advertising Pause from Bristol MyersWritten by Charles Essmeier
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb has announced that they will suspend direct-to-consumer advertising for their prescription drug products for a year. This comes in wake of well-publicized withdrawals of Merck’s Vioxx and Pfizer’s Bextra, two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that were voluntarily withdrawn from market recently. Studies showed that they increase likelihood of strokes and heart attacks among patients that take them for prolonged periods of time. This represents an unusual move for a pharmaceutical company, as they tend to spend a large portion of their annual advertising budget on direct-to-consumer advertising.
It is possible that Bristol Myers recognizes that consumers are becoming concerned about new drugs being approved by FDA and advertised heavily, only to find out later that drugs have previously unknown and possibly dangerous side effects. Consumers have learned that advertising a drug as “new and improved” doesn’t necessarily mean that it is new, or improved, or even safe. In short, customers are suspicious of pharmaceutical advertising, and drug companies are to be commended for taking notice of that fact.
Since 1997, drug companies have been allowed by U.S. law to advertise directly
| | Water - The Natural ChoiceWritten by BestXooma.com
The truth is "More than 1 in 5 Americans unknowingly drink tap water polluted with feces, radiation or other contaminants Nearly 1,000 deaths each year and at least 400,000 cases of waterborne illness may be attributed to contaminated water" -The New York Times - June 2, 1995Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake for athletes, even recreational kind, is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, more important it is to drink plenty of fluids. Inadequate water consumption can be physically harmful. Consider that a loss of as little as 2% of one's body weight due to sweating, can lead to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, heart works harder in order to move blood through bloodstream. Prehydration and rehydration are vital to maintaining cardiovascular health, proper body temperature and muscle function. The natural choice for hydration is water. It hydrates better than any other liquid, both before and during exercise. Water tends to be less expensive and more available than any other drink. You need to drink 4-6 ounces of water for every 15-20 minutes of exercise. That can add up to a lot of water! While some people prefer taste of water over other drinks, most people find it relatively bland and will stop drinking water before becoming fully hydrated. Water is best, but it only helps you if you drink it. One of reasons that sports drinks are so popular is fact that they taste good. Many manufacturers only add sugar, flavor and color to attract consumer, even though drink contains no electrolytes and is simply flavored water.
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