Furious Seasons

September 11, 2007

Reality TV Goes Pharma, NAMI Helps AstraZeneca

Via CL Psych comes edrugsearch.com's list of 10--count 'em--pharma reps who've landed gigs on reality TV shows. I knew there was a reason I hated these shows.

And, via The Trouble With Spikol, comes news that NAMI National--the nation's voice on mental illness--is helping AstraZeneca spread the word on the company's "A Day in the Life" essay contest concerning what it's like to have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. There's a $1,000 prize.

Why is NAMI National once again helping out a company with tons of advertising money in its attempts to gain some copy for soft advertising? Is that the proper role for an advocacy group?

Posted by Philip Dawdy at September 11, 2007 10:46 AM

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Comments

AstraZeneca is willing to award someone $1000 for their story which they will potentially use to make a hugh profit on-something is wrong with this picture?

Posted by: Jane at September 11, 2007 11:03 AM

Cool!! I think I'll enter the contest!! (JK) ;-)

Posted by: Gwen at September 11, 2007 11:12 AM

Actually there are a lot more Pharma reps that have been on Reality Shows that this list didn't get. I would say that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Posted by: susan at September 11, 2007 01:37 PM

Hmmm, pharm reps on reality tv, looks like they're about half silicone, half ssri. While perusing the NAMI site to read about the bipolar writing contest, I found the NAMI college "mental health fair" link:

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=50681

Go there, it's creepy.

Posted by: Sally at September 11, 2007 01:47 PM

wow that is amazing. thanks. amusingly enough, az has visited this post twice already today.

Posted by: Philip Dawdy at September 11, 2007 01:54 PM

This is taking product placement to a new low.

Posted by: Puckett at September 11, 2007 03:12 PM

Well not to make AZ look bad, but Lilly has a college scholarship up for grabs. Via ADHD. College vs. $1000. bucks for teeth whitening. Hmm what's a girl to do.

Posted by: Stephany at September 11, 2007 03:57 PM

NAMI National should be ashamed, and they would be except for the fact that they have no shame.
Eli Lilly has more money than G-D, so what if they give a few scholarships out, they just use it to sell billions of drugs. One of their family members was put under guardinship before she died, wonder what she would have thought of how they act towards people with mental illness? She gave 100 million to Poetry magazine in her will, that's how much money they're making and they want folks to be grateful for peanuts.

I'd rather take money from Phillip Morris than a drug company.

Posted by: Alison Hymes at September 11, 2007 10:06 PM