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Get Real, Get a Prescription – Pfizer’s shocking TV ad
Recent research by healthcare company Pfizer shows that more than one in seven British adults surveyed (15%) has admitted to bypassing the healthcare system to get hold of prescription only medicine without a prescription. This is a shocking trend as fake medicines purchased online can contain harmful ingredients such as rat poison3 and can cause harm to patients and even lead to death.
Pfizer launched earlier this year a cinema ad of a man coughing up a dead rat after taking medicine bought from an illicit website.
The ad has now made it to our TV screens and is considered so shocking that it can only be broadcast on television after 11pm. The ad was aired for the first time on Channel 4 earlier this week.
Warning: do not watch this ad if you’re squeamish
The Get Real, Get A Prescription is a public awareness campaign which is being launched to educate the public on the risks involved in purchasing fake medicines from unregulated websites.
Head over to realdanger.co.uk for more information about the campaign
07/11/2009 - 5:59 am
And what is Pfizers real concern ?
I'm guessing the amount of fake and dangerous medicine sold in the UK is minimal or even non-existent. My guess is that Pfizer makes a LOT of money through prescription medicine and they want to scare people into continuing to get their medicine in this most profitable way?
If this was a real problem, it would be the government or the NHS that were paying for the advert ?
07/11/2009 - 6:20 am
Hi Simon,
I guess they're worried about the numerous fake/spam emails that prompt consumers to buy cheap viagra etc from xxx website (I have loads of these emails in my spam folder: http://twitpic.com/olrdc)
They're being pro-active by attempting to educate people not to buy medicine online, and by doing so protecting themselves against court-cases from idiots who buy counterfeit medicine.
18/11/2009 - 6:19 pm
I had to seach the internet to discover the organization who was funding this advert – the Pfizer name was flashed so quickly at the end. Pfizer at no point declare any comercial interest in what appears to be a public service advert.
The chemicals used in rat poison are actually also found in some licenced medication. The advert in this sense gave a completely distorted perspective.
20/11/2009 - 5:37 pm
this is nothing but the usual propaganda… show us some genuine independent stats not stupid adverts and warfarin, which is what the advert is refering to as a rat poison is a standard anticoagulant prescribed by the NHS to thin blood… stop bullshitting us, unbranded medicins are not fake, there just cheap.. remember these are the same people who deny anti aids drugs to Africa because they are poor, the same people who put more money into anti-aging creams than anti maleria.. these, the big drug companies are the real Mr Bigs in the drugs world.
20/11/2009 - 11:37 pm
this is nothing but the usual propaganda… show us some genuine independent stats not stupid adverts and warfarin, which is what the advert is refering to as a rat poison is a standard anticoagulant prescribed by the NHS to thin blood… stop bullshitting us, unbranded medicins are not fake, there just cheap.. remember these are the same people who deny anti aids drugs to Africa because they are poor, the same people who put more money into anti-aging creams than anti maleria.. these, the big drug companies are the real Mr Bigs in the drugs world.