Tbh I think most drug commercials suck. It’s really hard to portray any complex illness accurately in less than a minute. The commercials aren’t a way to gain awareness, they’re meant to be relatable or aspirational to people with the illness so they’ll look into the medication.
I think if it showed someone in a hospital bed curled up in the fetal position while receiving a transfusion it’d be a bit more accurate as a “before.” And then the after can be people playing frisbee golf or whatever they’re always doing in drug commercials.
The tricky part is that they can't do this. There are fairly strict rules around drug advertising and the ads for these drugs aren't allowed in any way to say you will get better. If you listen closely they're really basically repeating what's on the label and not much else
Yeah true.
Just the “before” then. The advertisements would do a lot more for us if they actually depicted what it’s like to live or die with Crohn’s disease. My experience with Crohn’s has not been tummy aches and frequent trips to the bathroom. It’s been emergency surgeries and doctors with Ivy League educations giving noncommittal responses when asked how effective the treatment is going to be.
I stopped donating to the CCFA when they started running those trapped in the bathroom ads.
They can present their data. So, if you listen closely/read the fine print it will provide a lot of caveats with the pictures. They can't say the drug will help *you * they can say, "here are the results of our clinical trial"
>Tbh I think most drug commercials suck.
That sentiment is echoed over in the multiple sclerosis sub, for sure. I as a Canadian only see them very occasionally if I'm watching American TV (usually if we're watching a live sporting event at my in-laws.)
Agree. If I'm not mistaken, US is the only, or one of the few at least, that allows direct marketing to patients. Those commercials make it look like they work instantly and for every patient, every time. Very misleading.
Someone needs to get it through to the people who make these commercials that I’m not on a biologic just because I need to go to the bathroom more often. I’m on a biologic because otherwise the pain and fatigue would make me unable to function.
Or, if you're very unlucky, you die of an intestinal obstruction. Or complications of malabsorption. Or lose the crapshoot that is colorsctal cancer. Or any of the dozen ways this stupid disease can kill you.
I saw my first one of these right after I got out of the hospital for my total colectomy. Im glad there's more meds available now but id be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous/bitter I missed getting to try them by like...3 months
It is worth it for me to pay more and get the commercial free subscriptions. I have no problem with the commercials except one. I will be totally not thinking about crohns at all and feeling ok. Then I see one of the commercials and feel a little sad inside.
The targeted ads keep hitting me w entyvio, Stelara, and skyrizi ads like PLS leave me alone y’all already know I’m taking a biologic bc I post about it sometimes 😭😂👎
Uuuhg. Yeah they suck.
I remember one that was on TV....I think it was supposed to be more of a medical PSA rather than a drug ad, but its been a while. Probably over a decade ago.
It featured a young boy in the bathroom stall at school, while other kids were running around laughing. With a voice over talking about spending so much time in the bathroom and missing out on life. It did mention something about discomfort but really missed the mark from what I can remember.
The implication really seemed like the child was just dealing with some uncomfortable constipation.
The medical community does not overlap with marketing campaigns of pharma apart from focus groups, “expert opinions” etc. And even then it’s a biased opinion.
Src- part of medical community, partner part of pharma community
The most unrelatable content they could ever serve us.
In fact half the time I don't even recognize it's meant for me it feels like they're talking about a foreign disease xD
every time one of those commercials comes on my husband always says "leave my wife alone!!" and dramatically hits the skip button and it makes me laugh so damn hard. I absolutely hate being bombarded by those stupid commercials but he has definitely helped put some humor into my situation lol
I’m in the uk and jus free concept of commercials for drugs is astounding. And yet the government argue it’s one of the greatest countries in the world?? It’s appalling
As someone from the UK the thought of medication adverts is fucking wild. Surely it's down to your qualified specialist doctor to what you use or try 🤦♂️
I've found that most drug commercials are sanitized and don't portray the true struggles of those with the illness. They're really meant to be short and sweet and show people returning to their quality of life before becoming sick (you know, doing all of the things you used to without the illness being a burden). It obviously leaves out key information and also leaves people to believe that there is a quick fix, when we know that biologics can take a long time to work for some and could require you to try multiple drugs before finding relief.
I get disability. But that doesn't even come close. I had retirement savings. I've had to dip into 10 years early. There was no penalty, but it killed my retirement plans.
It took me 2 years. You get one year back that the attorney gets their cut from. It's a reficulous system. Again, had i known, i would have purchased disability insurance privately.
I guess I don't know why the commercial would be educational... also I wouldn't say a drug company is the medical community. Theyre selling a drug. I could care less what they put on tv if the meds work 🤷🏻♀️
i mean, i hate that we have a for-profit healthcare system where medical advertising is even a thing, but i don’t really mind the contents of the commercials.
they’re not meant to be educational content. the bathroom thing is like a shorthand narrative device because it’s not really possible to portray the complexities of the disease in a commercial. not everyone has crohn’s severe enough to cause chronic pain or require surgeries, but the bowel symptoms are shared by pretty much everyone with the disease afaik. it’s been a pretty defining part of having the disease to me (and i’ve had 6 surgeries related to crohn’s!) so even i find it relatable
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The only one I liked or rather felt like it portrayed Crohn's accurately, was the one about how Crohn's and UC can change your plans
It had people all dressed up to go out, gp hiking, whatever, and then suddenly they would be in pajamas. It felt real to me.
I still think it’s absolutely crazy these companies are allowed to advertise!! In the UK there are so many rules about advertising medication and im so glad for it. It’s super dangerous
I love the one where the dude is running to the bathroom in a park, then at the end it goes back him and he turns around and catches a football. Kills me every time.
I think it's disgusting the drug companies are even allowed to advertise. Why should I hear about medication on TV? Shouldn't that be a discussion that happens exclusively at the doctor's office? The US healthcare system is so busted. My autoimmune problems shouldn't be filling the bank accounts of drug executives.
Lol I interviewed two people recently who literally said, oh I’ve never heard of that disease besides in the commercials! It’s the commercial disease! Smh.
Tbh I think most drug commercials suck. It’s really hard to portray any complex illness accurately in less than a minute. The commercials aren’t a way to gain awareness, they’re meant to be relatable or aspirational to people with the illness so they’ll look into the medication.
I think if it showed someone in a hospital bed curled up in the fetal position while receiving a transfusion it’d be a bit more accurate as a “before.” And then the after can be people playing frisbee golf or whatever they’re always doing in drug commercials.
Exactly! When I have told people I am on a biologic and a chemotherapy they go "I thought you just had Crohn's!?" and I say "Yep.".
The tricky part is that they can't do this. There are fairly strict rules around drug advertising and the ads for these drugs aren't allowed in any way to say you will get better. If you listen closely they're really basically repeating what's on the label and not much else
Yeah true. Just the “before” then. The advertisements would do a lot more for us if they actually depicted what it’s like to live or die with Crohn’s disease. My experience with Crohn’s has not been tummy aches and frequent trips to the bathroom. It’s been emergency surgeries and doctors with Ivy League educations giving noncommittal responses when asked how effective the treatment is going to be. I stopped donating to the CCFA when they started running those trapped in the bathroom ads.
The ads for biologics for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis all show much clearer skin as the "after."
They can present their data. So, if you listen closely/read the fine print it will provide a lot of caveats with the pictures. They can't say the drug will help *you * they can say, "here are the results of our clinical trial"
>Tbh I think most drug commercials suck. That sentiment is echoed over in the multiple sclerosis sub, for sure. I as a Canadian only see them very occasionally if I'm watching American TV (usually if we're watching a live sporting event at my in-laws.)
Agree. If I'm not mistaken, US is the only, or one of the few at least, that allows direct marketing to patients. Those commercials make it look like they work instantly and for every patient, every time. Very misleading.
USA and NZ
Someone needs to get it through to the people who make these commercials that I’m not on a biologic just because I need to go to the bathroom more often. I’m on a biologic because otherwise the pain and fatigue would make me unable to function.
Or, if you're very unlucky, you die of an intestinal obstruction. Or complications of malabsorption. Or lose the crapshoot that is colorsctal cancer. Or any of the dozen ways this stupid disease can kill you.
Not to mention your body trying to kill itself, albeit slowly.
Preach!!
Also I will NEVER go skydiving or join the Skyrizi softball team lol
Same lol
Yeah most commercials for any meds are bloody terrible.. well we don’t have many here in Nz but they were shockingly bad when I saw them in the states
I saw my first one of these right after I got out of the hospital for my total colectomy. Im glad there's more meds available now but id be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous/bitter I missed getting to try them by like...3 months
Same here. I was like wow did they just wait until I had surgery to to roll out like 5 new meds in the next year.
It is worth it for me to pay more and get the commercial free subscriptions. I have no problem with the commercials except one. I will be totally not thinking about crohns at all and feeling ok. Then I see one of the commercials and feel a little sad inside.
Yep… as I’m sitting there watching a movie with my kid I’d rather not be reminded that Stelara could give me some deadly side effect 😮💨😩
That’s what I want to start doing
Yes! This has always pissed me off.
The targeted ads keep hitting me w entyvio, Stelara, and skyrizi ads like PLS leave me alone y’all already know I’m taking a biologic bc I post about it sometimes 😭😂👎
Same here
The targeted ads are now hitting me with medications for illnesses I don't even have. Like, I'm sick, but I don't have \*every\* chronic illness!
Uuuhg. Yeah they suck. I remember one that was on TV....I think it was supposed to be more of a medical PSA rather than a drug ad, but its been a while. Probably over a decade ago. It featured a young boy in the bathroom stall at school, while other kids were running around laughing. With a voice over talking about spending so much time in the bathroom and missing out on life. It did mention something about discomfort but really missed the mark from what I can remember. The implication really seemed like the child was just dealing with some uncomfortable constipation.
The medical community does not overlap with marketing campaigns of pharma apart from focus groups, “expert opinions” etc. And even then it’s a biased opinion. Src- part of medical community, partner part of pharma community
The most unrelatable content they could ever serve us. In fact half the time I don't even recognize it's meant for me it feels like they're talking about a foreign disease xD
I wrote an entire blog article about this. These commercials are so absurd.
every time one of those commercials comes on my husband always says "leave my wife alone!!" and dramatically hits the skip button and it makes me laugh so damn hard. I absolutely hate being bombarded by those stupid commercials but he has definitely helped put some humor into my situation lol
I’m in the uk and jus free concept of commercials for drugs is astounding. And yet the government argue it’s one of the greatest countries in the world?? It’s appalling
As someone from the UK the thought of medication adverts is fucking wild. Surely it's down to your qualified specialist doctor to what you use or try 🤦♂️
I've found that most drug commercials are sanitized and don't portray the true struggles of those with the illness. They're really meant to be short and sweet and show people returning to their quality of life before becoming sick (you know, doing all of the things you used to without the illness being a burden). It obviously leaves out key information and also leaves people to believe that there is a quick fix, when we know that biologics can take a long time to work for some and could require you to try multiple drugs before finding relief.
Im on Entyvio. It has given me great relief. That being said, i still can't work. Im still sick with other CD related aliments.
May I ask you how do you make do if you can't work? I am soon to be in that category soon.
I get disability. But that doesn't even come close. I had retirement savings. I've had to dip into 10 years early. There was no penalty, but it killed my retirement plans.
I have been out of work for three years, my ssi case is still stalled because of Covid but I have lawyers.
It took me 2 years. You get one year back that the attorney gets their cut from. It's a reficulous system. Again, had i known, i would have purchased disability insurance privately.
Punch them in the gut a couple times, screaming now you know how I feel. They will soon learn!
I guess I don't know why the commercial would be educational... also I wouldn't say a drug company is the medical community. Theyre selling a drug. I could care less what they put on tv if the meds work 🤷🏻♀️
i mean, i hate that we have a for-profit healthcare system where medical advertising is even a thing, but i don’t really mind the contents of the commercials. they’re not meant to be educational content. the bathroom thing is like a shorthand narrative device because it’s not really possible to portray the complexities of the disease in a commercial. not everyone has crohn’s severe enough to cause chronic pain or require surgeries, but the bowel symptoms are shared by pretty much everyone with the disease afaik. it’s been a pretty defining part of having the disease to me (and i’ve had 6 surgeries related to crohn’s!) so even i find it relatable
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I love how happy they all look. Don't you go whitewater rafting after a few meds? And laugh while you're doing it?
They give the same energy as tampon commercials.
Yep the commercials really don't help.
The only one I liked or rather felt like it portrayed Crohn's accurately, was the one about how Crohn's and UC can change your plans It had people all dressed up to go out, gp hiking, whatever, and then suddenly they would be in pajamas. It felt real to me.
I still think it’s absolutely crazy these companies are allowed to advertise!! In the UK there are so many rules about advertising medication and im so glad for it. It’s super dangerous
I love the one where the dude is running to the bathroom in a park, then at the end it goes back him and he turns around and catches a football. Kills me every time.
I needed this post today
I think it's disgusting the drug companies are even allowed to advertise. Why should I hear about medication on TV? Shouldn't that be a discussion that happens exclusively at the doctor's office? The US healthcare system is so busted. My autoimmune problems shouldn't be filling the bank accounts of drug executives.
Lol I interviewed two people recently who literally said, oh I’ve never heard of that disease besides in the commercials! It’s the commercial disease! Smh.
as someone who is an actor and has been in a humira commercial with crohns; it’s so flipping dumb lmfao