Follow the Money:
What Super Bowl Health Ads Really Sell
I left the Super Bowl predictions to the experts; I’m only qualified to discuss the medical commercials. Super Bowl ads sell for up to $16 million for sixty seconds — excluding production costs. It may go without saying that these ads are intended to sell something, though what they're actually selling isn't always so obvious.
One case in point is Novartis’ ad for prostate cancer screening. The drug company uses fear by relying on NFL players and a coach diagnosed with prostate cancer to promote prostate screening. You may wonder why a drug company would promote a blood test — a test it doesn’t even manufacture? Well, because the more men who get diagnosed earlier, the larger the pool of patients who eventually might require therapies such as their drug Pluvicto. This strengthens Novartis' position as a leader in prostate cancer care. So, more screening leads to more diagnoses, leads to more candidates for Pluvicto, leads to long-term commercial benefit. A plus for the company, even if the ad itself doesn't directly sell the drug.
Over the years, I have written about the dubious value of PSA screening for prostate cancer — for most men. My thinking is based primarily on the poor accuracy of the screening test. The screening test detects far more false alarms than actual cancers. This leads to complications and unnecessary further testing. This Super Bowl ad states that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but fails to mention that most prostate cancer grows so slowly that most men will die WITH prostate cancer rather than FROM prostate cancer. Deciding to get screened for prostate cancer is complicated and requires a careful discussion around the scientific evidence and the patient's values.
Another Super Bowl drug ad features actresses Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara promoting a screening test for kidney disease that can result from diabetes or high blood pressure. Never mind that many of the food products promoted during the Super Bowl contribute to both diabetes and hypertension; the ad doesn't mention avoiding them. Instead, these two motorcycle-riding women tell us not to "miss the signal" and to ask our doctor about getting a simple urine screening test. Yes, kidney disease is serious and common, and many people don't know if they have it. But the test isn't recommended for everyone. While the drug company Boehringer Ingelheim doesn't sell the kidney test itself, it co-markets the drug Jardiance (empagliflozin). Again, the awareness push increases kidney disease detection. The company benefits from a larger pool of patients who may require the medications it sells.
And then there's tennis pro Serena Williams promoting a company called Ro Telehealth, a direct-to-consumer provider of prescription drugs. Ms. Williams obtained her GLP-1 weight-loss medication through this telemedicine company, possibly without her regular doctor’s advice. She makes no mention of the issues that telehealth companies have regarding privacy and confidentiality. She does tell us that we should use the telemedicine company.
If you watch the Super Bowl, it may be wiser to stretch and take a break rather than stick around to watch promotional, misleading advertisements.
— Dr. Michael Wilkes with a Second Opinion
Further Reading:
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