Isn't there some law that dentists aren't allowed to endorse toothpaste in commercials? I always assumed it was the same for doctors and medication - which is why this commercial always confused me. (Plus it's just annoying.)

Sweet, another thing for Congress to waste its time on. Between this, Arlen Specter investigating Sypgate and the baseball steroid hearings, its no wonder the economy is headed for the shitter, violent crime is going up and we're mired in a war half a world away with no good exit strategy. Good work Congress, keep it up.

I honestly could care less who shills out the drugs. I think the drug companies would do better to not advertise so heavily. That's why they cost so much.

If I'm sick, I'm going to go to a doctor and ask them for something that helps. When was the last time somebody was watching TV and said "Hey, I have herpes too! Maybe that drug would be awesome!" Probably not as often as the ads would have you believe...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's thinking "Why does it matter?". Why do you have to practice medicine? The people who actually formulate the drugs don't practice medicine, do they? The ones that sell the drugs don't.

Next up on the Congressional docket: Was Bruce Jenner qualified to hawk Wheaties in 1976?

I have a hot tip for Congress: There are strippers that dress as nurses, but they have no medical experience.

A better solution is just to ban prescription drug advertising on TV, radio and magazines. They did it with smokes to a certain extent. Maybe they would quit wasting so much money on marketing. There are also some hospitals that are questioning the practice of they way drug reps are operating and the VA already bans them.

I bet his hair is fake too. shame.

@savvy999: I agree.

We blame bush for addressing small issues while the big ones go untouched. Congress is working on this, but consumerist is the only one I've seen talking about it.

So much for Pelosi's "new direction" platform from 2006. What's their approval rating now? 11%? Gee, I wonder why?? *eyeroll*

@optimistic - doctors actually get a fairly large number of patients that schedule appointments for checkups and actually ask for specific prescriptions to be written based on an ad they saw on TV that listed symptoms they thought they had too... so for all intents and purposes the ads do their jobs

Drug companies should not be allowed to advertise their products on TV because it negatively impacts the doctor patient relationship. Patient thinks she has X because of a TV add and wants prescription Y. Doctor is 98.9% sure the patient doesn't have X and therefore doesn't need Y. Patient gets angry because they think the doctor is ignoring their pain/suffering and demands drug Y. Doctor refuses. Patient leaves doctor, finds another who has his pockets lined with drug company's money and has no qualms writing the crazy patient the prescription. Drug company makes more money.

From R&D to the market, a drug costs pharma companies in excess of $800 million (includes the costs of developing the one drug that got by the FDA and the 50 that failed). They spend quite a bit more money schmoozing doctors and hospital reps to increase brand awareness (read: buy the loyalty of doctors). So the next time you pay for a prescription, or see what your health insurance is paying, remember all the free meals for medical school students, 5-star weekend trips for doctors, branded pens and prescription pads, etc. Drug companies, a large proportion of them anyway are in business to make money, not necessarily do what's in the best interest of a patient. That's why Pfizer pumps billions into dick pills but hardly anyone will attempt to develop a drug that would treat less than a million people.

If they're gonna use a stunt man, they might as well take it to the extreme. I would love to see "Jarvik" jumping out of an exploding building while talking about his abandoned dream of becoming an architect ...

Colesterol drugs are the biggest scam ever!Just another way to keep you going back to the docs..they don't want to cure you,just treat you...how else will they make those boat payments!!

This would be less sad if it were only boner pills "Doctor" Jarvik was hawking. But since it's the controversial statins, that don't really do anything for anyone who is anything but a <65 year old male who has already had a heart attack, this is even ickier.

Read Malcolm Kendrick's The Great Cholesterol Con. You too will want to sue a statin drug maker.

All the drug companies lie to us and spend more on ads than research. Congress should be investigating that.

Don't forget that the Jarvik 2000 heart isn't approved for use in the USA either.

@Sherryness:

I believe that although Dr. Jarvic is an MD (he has the degree), he does not have a medical license, so he is not considered to be a physician.

File this under the "It takes one (a lying shill) to know one (A lying shill)" department.

I'm rolling on the floor laughing. Politicians -- the greatest FRAUDSTERS in the world investigating a lame TV commercial for being a fraud.

Notice they are paying attention to the MOST URGENT and MOST IMPORTANT matters of this nation (yeah right) while this nation's sons and daughters and economy all tank.

Perhaps next up they will look at the fraudsters on Wall Street and the financial institutions who have orchestrated these incredible ponzi schemes. Maybe they can start with the Federal Reserve.

Wasn't there an old TV here that stood for: "Truth, justice, and the American way?" WOW -- what happened to US?

Who gives a shit if he is rowing or not? Who gives a shit if he doesn't have a licence? Do those people in the highblood pressure pill commercials all have medical licences? Do the people in birthcontrol ads have a medical licence? Are people so stupid that they can't handle watching a heart medication commercial? so your saying that because he has a degree he can't have anything to do with the advertising, but some jo shmo off the street can? This is stupid. Seriously. Please don't post anymore articles about it.

To me, the funniest thing in this article is in the Bio on Jarvik's website. "and I have honorary degrees"
Honorary Degrees? Honorary degrees are meaningless PR.

@melanie.dawn:

I don't think the people in high blood pressure commercials even have high blood pressure. The only thing I can think of is maybe because he says he is a doctor he should really be a doctor, but I agree it is a non facotor

@melanie.dawn: The ads give the false impression that he is a licensed physician. Believe it or not, this makes him more trustworthy in some people's minds. Having people say "you should use this medicine because it worked well for me," is (I think) different than "as a doctor, I think you should use this medicine." I realize that he doesn't literally say that, but the impression in clear (why else use a doctor in the conmmercial?).

And I think Meg appreciates the absurdity in making an issue out of whether or not he's a rower.

Next on Consumerist: the Trix rabbit is not really a rabbit.

"I am not a celebrity." Oh how modest you are, Dr. Jarvik.

I can understand the point of congress questioning why Dr Jarvik is in the commercials to begin with. I think it's a legit issue that should be examined when it comes to advertising for pharmaceuticals and advertising in general.

However, I think questioning why they used a body double for a brief scene in the commercial is stupid.

If only Congress would look at the real problem. Why are the drug companies advertising to us, the consumer? I don't know which drug would work the best with the fewest side effects -- that's why I pay a doctor.

@Sherryness: You should see the older ads for Colgate tooth paste in mexico, they show Hugo Sanchez doing the advertising, and he IS a dentist. I guess he never practiced.

Where is Sally Field licensed to practice medicine? What about Bob Dole?

Dr. Phil gives health advice and he isn't a real Doctor either. He also wrote a diet book, and he is fat.

"He's not a doctor, but he plays one on TV"... No one said that yet?

I think like any other ad, you need to approach with a level of skepticism and not blind trust that it's right for you.

@bonzombiekitty: agreed.

it's important to remember that congress will not just make a decision on whether or not this ad is unethical - it will apply to all drug commercials from here on out.

as far as i'm concerned, more regulations on these offensive drug commercials are long overdue -- and maybe this will draw needed attention to the fact that we really shouldn't have these types of commercials on TV at all. stupid people everywhere are convinced they have everything from restless leg syndrome to chronic acid reflux. also - i'm sick of watching a young couple discuss their herpes while parasailing.

@MercuryPDX:
Yes but he does not say he just plays one on TV. There are a lot of people who will take what he says as gospel just because he says he is a real doctor. Many people do not understand that this is an ad and not free medical advice.

He IS a medical doctor who does clinical research. My goodness, he's an expert! Lipitor and other statin drugs are well-shown to reduce risk of MI in patients with hyperlipidemia and reduce the risk of stroke in high risk patients.

File this under witch hunt.

@floyderdc:
I don't even understand the concept of pharmaceutical advertising. If my doctor tells me I have high cholesterol, I'm not going to suggest Lipitor or anything else. That's my doctor's job, isn't it?

Just eliminate all direct to consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Problem solved.

Hold on everyone! Congress has already tackled the issues of the war ("The Surge" = no problems!, & we'll just spend another couple hundred billion in 08) and the economy (Money for everyone!).

At least our government is consistent. Throwing money and resources at the problem is so much more expedient than actually hammering out a solution.

Ahhh, this is still happening? Have they still not payed off the correct people?

Old senile people on medication are easily fooled into believing things that may not be true. THAT is why this is an issue.

earth to congress, earth to congress, are you there congress?... if you can hear me, please know, that you are ignorant cunt pumps... you need to find something better to do, than wonder why the drug dealers you endorse are liars, but here's a hint: they are lying and cheating drug dealers who only care about moving product... oh yeah, as a side note, there are no steroids in sports, i repeat there are no steroids in sports. move on.

@Caduceus: So, how much if Pfizer paying you again?

@rmz: *is

@Optimistic Prime:
Advertising is not why a given drug costs so much. To bring 1 drug to market, from the time it is researched, to the time it hits the market, the cost is $850 million and about 10 years. The pharm companies recoup their investment largely in the U.S. This is because almost every other country in the world, through their governments, negotiate prices with drug companies. The U.S., however, is a (largely) free market system, where drug prices are unregulated. The higher prices charged to Americans makes it possible for consumers in other countries to pay less.

@suburbancowboy: Sally Field is not passing herself off as a physician, whereas Dr. Jarvik is. He does NOT have a medical license and doesn't treat patients. He may be an authority on biomedical engineering, but this commercial relies on people believing him to be a cardiovascular specialist, which he is NOT. Think of Dr. Laura, who many people believe to be a certified expert in mental health and counseling. She has a Ph.D. in physiology, which doesn't make her qualified to do more than run a research lab and teach undergrads.

@ClayS:
Neither do I. I personally do not think it should be allowed. That being said if it is going to be allowed they should not have some "doctor" speaking about how great the drug is, and endorse it.

That being said it is your doctor's job to determine what medication you need. I think nothing is more dangerous that a person going into his/her doctor's office armed with print outs from WedMD and information he/she got off a drug comerical.

I would be behind this if it were Dr. Phil they were investigating. Why is it that Ty Pennington can hawk Bayer but someone with an M.D. and the TRAINING TO EVALUATE research papers should be investigated because he no longer practices medicine.

I would investigate that woman on the idiotic Yaz ads, who claims that she "didn't go to med school for nothing." If an actor claiming to be a doctor can be an authority on pharmaceuticals, then a doctor who actually was a doctor can definitely be an authority.

I'm with those calling for a ban on pharmaceutical advertising.

And while we're at it, can we ban the cotton commercials? Why do I need to see an ad about how great cotton is? You don't see commercials about how great steel is, or wood.

If only there had been this level of investigation and skepticism back in March 2003! *grrrrrrr*

@ohnoes:
It's not that he no longer practices medicine, but rather that he has NEVER practiced medicine. He graduated med school, but did not complete a residency or any qualifying exams. He is simply NOT a physician, now or ever.