# Big Pharma lobbying group TV ad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696 "2017-01-31T20:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/1 "2017-01-31T20:50:38Z")
[Abolutely beautiful commercial](http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/big-pharma-lobbying-group-debuts-national-campaign/307659/) promoting Big Pharma. Just saw it last night for the first time, and rewound and watched it three times in succession. Seriously the best commercial I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/2 "2017-01-31T21:20:42Z")
Looks like running scared, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/3 "2017-01-31T22:00:29Z")
I saw it a few days ago, I liked it, but then I’m not scared of drugs (big pharma or other wise), I’m also not scared of advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/4 "2017-02-01T00:37:26Z")
Eh, it’s okay. I mean, it’s mainly just footage of people in white coats staring meaningfully into microscopes and computer animations of bio-sciency stuff. I’ll admit that my main thought was “Oh, is that why it costs $7,500 a dose and I couldn’t afford it anyway even if I needed it?” I mean, I doubt many people think the researchers are the bad guys so showing them to be some sort of heroes doesn’t exactly change my opinion of the pharmaceutical company as a whole. It’s not the researchers people get pissed at when a pill is marked up 5000% ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/5 "2017-02-01T01:00:23Z")
That’s a great ad for the system we should have, but it’s not the system we have. In the system we should have, pharmaceutical research should all be done using government funding, with the patent rights held as common property. The pharmaceutical companies could then produce the stuff once it’s developed, and compete for cheaper and more efficient production techniques. As long as the R&D is privately funded, though, and the manufacturers need to recoup their investments, it’s going to remain screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/6 "2017-02-01T01:01:43Z")
Sure, it’s laughable propaganda in a high-tech rectal suppository. I just liked the execution of my second-favorite poem, the animation, and the music. It’s all just neatly done. As the article points out, it’s the NIH that’s the real brains in biotech. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/7 "2017-02-01T01:12:40Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Sure, it’s laughable propaganda in a high-tech rectal suppository. I just liked the execution of my second-favorite poem, the animation, and the music. It’s all just neatly done. As the article points out, it’s the NIH that’s the real brains in biotech. Fair enough. As a piece of ‘art’ (in that it’s a creative endeavor to share a message), it’s a failure for me as it doesn’t do anything to change my perception of the Big Pharma industry. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/8 "2017-02-01T02:47:12Z")
Mine neither. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-pharma-lobbying-group-tv-ad/778696/9 "2017-02-01T18:17:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In the system we should have, pharmaceutical research should all be done using government funding, with the patent rights held as common property. The pharmaceutical companies could then produce the stuff once it’s developed, and compete for cheaper and more efficient production techniques. As long as the R&D is privately funded, though, and the manufacturers need to recoup their investments, it’s going to remain screwed up. But then it would be up to the government to decide which pharma research gets funded and which doesn’t. I don’t know if I would trust Congress to make the right decisions in this regard.