The ‘undercover’ technique now being used to pitch risky meds
If there’s anything we could use more of, it’s sleep.
We’re bombarded daily with messages about how to catch more Zs. Everything from space-age mattresses to powerful prescription pills.
But there’s a shady commercial making the rounds now that’s promising a new scientific discovery that will help you sleep better. And it sounds great — until you read the fine print.
Because the only breakthrough discovery here is how drug giant Merck has found a way to gut FDA rules meant to warn you about dangerous drugs.
And how they’re using a secret marketing campaign to sell you a potentially deadly sleeping pill — all while making sure you never understand the risks.
And you can bet some ad executive at Merck has a hefty bonus coming this year. Because the company has found a way to skirt FDA requirements about including side effects in ads — and Merck may be building a dangerous marketing template for the entire industry.
It’s called a “disease awareness” campaign, and it’s meant to promote Merck’s new sleeping pill Belsomra without ever warning you about its dangers.
Merck is flooding the airwaves with what appears to be a cartoon public service announcement called “Why am I so awake?” Maybe you’ve even seen it.
The ad never mentions Belsomra by name, so it doesn’t have to include any of the side effects. But it describes exactly how the drug works, by interfering with a key brain chemical called orexin.
Merck’s stealth commercial ends by inviting you to talk to your doctor. But trust me, Merck’s been talking to our doctors plenty.
The company recently did a presentation about Belsomra at a major sleep conference, and has dispatched its army of thousands of sales reps to pitch the drug in every corner of America. They’ve wooed doctors so quickly that when the drug was first approved last year, docs were writing 4,000 prescriptions a week — and that was during the first month alone.
Even if you just want to Google orexin and learn more about it (go ahead and try a search after you read this message), you’ll find yourself knee deep in a sales pitch for Belsomra.
It’s all part of a cleverly designed marketing campaign to sell you on the merits of the drug… and get you in your doctor’s office asking about orexin… while making sure you know as little about Belsomra’s side effects as possible.
And who can blame Merck for trying? Because the side effects of Belsomra are terrifying.
I’m talking about depression, suicidal thoughts, problems breathing, sleep paralysis, and even a disturbing condition called cataplexy. That’s a sudden loss of muscle function that can happen if you get too happy or even angry. Laugh too hard and your legs can give out, triggering a dangerous fall or even a bone break.
But the really big problem with Belsomra, the one Merck is thrilled its cartoon characters need not mention, has to do with just how easy it is to kill yourself — and others — when taking this drug.
The FDA calls the problem “psychomotor impairment” and that means that you’re not fit to do anything that requires thinking or coordination like driving a car. Even the next day.
Belsomra’s clinical trials found it was the most common side effect. The problem is so serious that an FDA reviewer who studied the drug said, “I think that some patients will drive who shouldn’t be driving and some of those patients will crash.”
Look, we’re bombarded by drug advertising day and night. But Big Pharma seems more intent than ever to find ways to keep us from learning about side effects, and that’s a whole new level of deception.
Any time you see an ad for a health condition online or on TV, always check the fine print on the bottom to see who paid for it. And if it’s a drug company, it’s best to ignore what they’re telling you — and to worry about what they’re not.
Sources:
“Merck ramps up Belsomra marketing, hoping to wake up a sleepy insomnia market” Beth Snyder Bulik, June 13, 2015, FiercePharma, fiercepharmamarketing.com
“Merck’s quest to revive the market for insomnia drugs” Arlene Weintraub, June 4, 2015, Forbes, forbes.com
