Consumer reports has created a anti-ad video of the Requip DTC ad (a drug used to treat RLS, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline).

Let me first state that I’ve seen the Requip ad in question many times when I watch TV, and each time I have the same negative reaction to the ad. This means I have some negative personal bias against the way the company is marketing this to consumers en masse. That said, I decided not to go to the drug company’s “defense video”, which may predispose me to additional bias, and I present my analysis of the anti-ad video by Consumer Reports.

A young woman is seen in the ad to go through the drug company’s ads line by line. She comments on the statements made by the drug company ad. She doesn’t really “analyze” the statements as much as comment - and there’s a big difference between an unbiased analysis and editorial/opinion/commentary (example, “Sounds like the side effects are worse than the condition!”). Given that she doesn’t suffer from RLS, her commentary is biased and nothing more than an opinion. I’d like to hear from a member of that 3% population who DOES suffer from RLS and hear whether he or she agrees that the side effects are worse than the condition.

She does mention selectively the 2 people whose compulsive gambling caused them to lose over $100K each as a result of the side effect of Requip. $100K is a lot of money, no question about it. But 2 people - that’s a small “sample size” and in the medical community and the lines of “evidence based medicine” would constitute “case reports” - the weakest type of “evidence” and would be considered anecdotal more than actual evidence.

Does the Consumer Report ad make valid points? Sure. Is the anti-ad “ad” video a spin? Yes. A gloating male voice comes at the end to say “This ad is sponsored by - NO ONE!” to suggest that everything it claims in the its video must be unbiased and therefore, credible. However, the video itself contains lots of editorial claims and does not address symptoms of the actual condition of RLS so that consumers can be “better educated” if Consumer Reports does not believe the GSK’s Requip ad is doing a good job.

For once, I’d like to see someone spend the dollars coming up with the better solution to educating consumers credibly and objectively and setting a positive example for others to follow.