Direct-to-consumer drug ads show pretty pictures of people laughing while running through fields of flowers and enjoying romantic dinners and such while a monotone voice speaks about side-effects like diarrhea, blot clots, and death. You’re watching, but are you really listening?

Or are you wondering if people really do take baths together in matching claw-foot tubs perched on the edge of a cliff at sunset? (Do they? If so, we’ve been missing out.)

The FDA would like to know if the full message is getting through, so they’re planning a study to see if all the pretty pictures are getting in the way of the warnings about side-effects.

We’re assuming that sending the FDA an email that says “Well, Duh” isn’t sufficient, so we’ll just have to wait and see what they find.

The Pictures Are Happy, the Words Are a Bummer [WSJ Health Blog]

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