There's a TV commerical for Alli running here right now (that's the OTC weight loss drug that blocks some of your dietary fat from being absorbed -- at the risk of some, um, "bowel-related changes"). The spokesperson is identified as a Registered Pharmacist, and although she is not shown in a work-like setting she states, "As a pharmacist, I know Alli is safe because it is FDA approved", and "blocks 25% of the fat from being absorbed" and as part of a weight-loss program helps me lose weight etc., etc....and so on.
The commercial cuts away to something else for a second, and then comes back to her as she declares in a final statement, "My husband is a doctor, and if HE didn't think Alli was safe, he WOULDN'T let me use it!!!"
Now, I loves me my doctors (especially the Grumpy ones) but..... what the deuce is that all about? Apparently the makers of Alli didn't think that this woman's training as a pharmacist was quite enough for her to testify to the safety or effectiveness of this product without the doctor hubby's blessing.
Every time I see it, it just sticks in my craw.
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8 comments:
may be better than having 25 percent of your ingested fat sticking to something in your colon
I have the same issue! The part about her husband doc should've at least been "My husband is a physician and he agrees with me..safety, effectiveness yadda, yadda, yadda."
EM Pharm
(Blush) thank you!
On the other hand, let's look at the statement "I know Alli is safe because it's FDA approved".
So were: Vioxx. Trovan. LSD (yes, LSD was FDA approved). Thalidomide. Fen-Phen. Rezulin. Cisapride. Avandia. And many more.
Yeah, the whole commercial is hell-bent on telling us it's 'safe.'
Makes me pretty suspicious right there...
It is safe. Provided you don't mind having Krakatoa coming out of your rear end.
My issue with the ad, besides being semi-anti-pharmacist is it's sexist, too. Could you imagine an ad with a male pharmacist saying that he takes it because his wife, a doctor, says that it's safe to use, and if it weren't, she'd NEVER let him use it??
Of course, I should be used to this by now. My husband and I both have PhDs in Molecular Biology, and I'm now in pharmacy school. I didn't take his last name. The other day, we got a wedding invitation to "Dr. and Mrs. Joe Smith." This is from a couple where he's pursuing a MD/PhD and I believe she's in med school. It may be what etiquette says, but I think it's rude.
Dr. ScienceGirl
I'm with Dr. Grumpy, the FDA doesn't exactly have the track record to make me feel warm and fuzzy about an OTC weight loss product that is FDA approved. That doesn't mean Alli isn't safe. It just means that we shouldn't rely on a government regulatory agency with a history of mis-steps to judge a medication. And even if it is approved that doesn't mean you are in the clear. A quick check of my e-mail every day at work informes me of the latest drug recalls and believe me they do happen daily now!
I'm sure if used properly as part of a weight loss program Alli is perfectly safe and effective at helping a patient along with their weight loss goals. But if people think this is some magic bullet that can be taken after a night out at Outback or McDonalds not only are they mistaken but they are in for a very rude surprise hours later.
I spoke with an Alli rep at length when this first became approved as an OTC item. I asked her if the company was going to market this drug in the right way and educate people about it's proper use and the right way to try and loss weight in a healthy manner. She told me about all of the educational materials that they were making for patients to help educate them and help them loss weight. I just don't think people are paying attention to those kinds of educational materials. But they will respond to an advertisement that highlights the upsides to Alli.
And yes, I wish the pharmacist's recommendation had been enough in that commercial but we all know drug dealers don't get any respect. Heck, I'm just glad a pharmacist was included in the commercial at all. It wasn't that long ago when the reference would have been for a physician's recommendation only as if pharmacists don't exist and aren't the drug expert profession!
In the UK there is something about the public's perception of doctors knowing lots about drugs and pharmacists being those helpful folk that just dispense them.
I'd hope healthcare professionals would see a pharmacist's opinion as more informed and credible than a general physicians, but sadly most of the public intuitively don't . . .
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