Per yesterday’s E&C Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations "Direct to Consumer Advertising: Marketing, Education or Deception?" hearing (aka: “MED Ed”), some of the remarks offered by James T. Sage (Pfizer’s Senior Director/Team Leader for Lipitor):
“Pfizer asked Dr. Jarvik to appear in Lipitor advertisements because he is recognized for his work related to the human heart. Dr. Jarvik honestly and sincerely embraced our heart health campaign. He and Pfizer believe the ads were an effective way to deliver an important preventive health message to a large number of people by encouraging them to reduce the risk of heart disease through diet and exercise as well as consultation with their doctors about the importance of managing cholesterol.
Dr. Jarvik received his M.D. degree from the University of Utah College of Medicine in 1976. Although not a practicing physician, he has devoted his entire career to medical science related to the human heart. He has invented medical devices to help patients with advanced heart disease, and has collaborated with other physicians and scientists on these activities. As Dr. Jarvik has said publicly, he has “the training, experience, and medical knowledge to understand the conclusions of the extensive clinical trials that have been conducted to study the safety and effectiveness of Lipitor.”
Both Pfizer and Dr. Jarvik are confident that the statements included in the ads fairly represent the scientific data about Lipitor.
An important objective of the Jarvik advertising campaign for Lipitor was to highlight the importance of diet and exercise in reducing cardiovascular risk. When diet and exercise are not enough, adding medication such as Lipitor may be an important consideration for doctors and patients to discuss.
Some have asked why Pfizer decided to stop using Dr. Jarvik in our advertising. We chose Dr. Jarvik to participate in these ads because he is a nationally prominent expert with the knowledge and experience to speak intelligently and sincerely about the benefits of Lipitor. Unfortunately, the way Dr. Jarvik was presented in these ads has created misimpressions and distractions from our goal of encouraging patient and physician dialogue about the leading cause of death in the world: cardiovascular disease. Going forward, we are committed to ensuring there is greater clarity in our advertising regarding the presentation of spokespeople.
In summary, Pfizer believes that it’s important to educate consumers about the risks associated with elevated cholesterol and the value of Lipitor as a potential treatment option. We believe that DTC ads are an effective way of accomplishing that objective.”
Sage views indeed.
