Pfizer's New Year's
campaign branded as "irresponsible" and "reckless"
 Jan
1, 2006
A full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal pictures a
fit looking man with greying hair and asks boldly, "What are
you doing New Year's Eve?"
The Pfizer ad next reads, "Fact: Viagra can help guys with
all degrees of erectile dysfunction -- from mild to severe."
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles publicly criticized
Pfizer for running the advertisement because it is promoting the
use of Viagra as a New Year's "party drug." Making any
suggestion that having erectile dysfunction is not a prerequisite
for a Viagra prescription is irresponsible. AHF believes the ad
suggests just that.
Micheal Weinstein, the president of AHF in Los Angeles, demanded
the ad be pulled. "Not only does sending this reckless message
contribute to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, but it
is also part of a pattern of irresponsible direct-to-consumer advertising
by the drug industry," Weinstein said.
Pfizer's spokesman insists otherwise, stating the advertising campaign
is meant to target people suffering from erectile dysfunction only.
"It is a serious medical condition that affects about 30 million
American men, and Pfizer has worked hard to destigmatize the condition
of erectile dysfunction," the spokesman said.
The company denied the Viagra advertisements encourage unprotected
sex.
|
