Mad Men

And in today's news, a drug company factoid of which I was unaware:

In 2009, companies spent a vast $4.8 billion to reach out to consumers in the United States -- the only country besides New Zealand that allows direct-to-consumer advertising -- up from nearly $4.7 billion the year before, according to tracking firm Kantar Media.


I'm not sure why we stand (or grovel) alone with a meaningless(!) country like New Zealand, but there you are.  In the rest of the civilized world, pharma has to convince doctors that it's stuff actually works.  Of course, they've been caught fiddling there, too.  Fact is, I've always wondered why pharma spends the money.  Do they really think that Dr. Welby will prescribe some Love Potion Number 9 just because Fred Flintstone has been brain washed into craving it??  May be it works.  Which is worse:  the waste of money on such adverts if they don't work, or the waste of money and perversion of prescribing if they do????