Furious Seasons

November 15, 2007

A Free Pedometer For Lilly Customers

OK, we've all run into those free pens and notepads emblazoned with the name of Drug X or Y that pharma sales reps give away to doctors who then pass them onto patients. Well, I have now run into the one of the dumbest giveaways ever: The fine folks at Eli Lilly will send you--yes, you!--a free pedometer if you go to the Cymbalta website--which reps the company's really dodgy anti-depressant--and sign up for an email newsletter that will tell you all about the joys of taking Cymbalta. My hunch is the emails will not delve into liver problems, suicidality and withdrawal problems people are running into on the drug. You can sign up for the newsletter and pedometer right here. I think readers should go sign up for the pedometer and to get the Cymbalta info by snail mail, so we can run up the company's postage costs. Oh wait, did I say that?

Hey, Lilly: youse guys got a Zyprexa blood sugar monitor I can have?

Isn't DTC pharma marketing just grand?

Posted by Philip Dawdy at November 15, 2007 12:51 PM

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Comments

Thank you, Phil, for the heads up. I've just signed up for a free pedometer. I bought an Omron pedometer for my dad a month ago and paid about $15 for it. Now I can have a free one. All it didn't take much for Lilly to start giving them out: only one well-connected woman had to die in the police custody at an airport while high on Cymbalta and alcohol. Lucky me.

Posted by: Red Rover at November 15, 2007 06:15 PM

great point. take a pic of the pedomoter and i'll post it

Posted by: Philip Dawdy at November 15, 2007 07:30 PM

I'm so glad Lilly cares about our health.

Posted by: Lisa at November 15, 2007 08:31 PM

This is bad: It is currently 11:48pm and I have a five-page paper due at 10:30am tomorrow. Which I haven't started.

It gets worse: It is currently 11:49pm and I have about 50 pages of reading also due tomorrow at 10:30am. Which I haven't started yet either.

And the most terrible thing of all: I'm wasting my time on this stupid site, when I should be studying!!

Posted by: Gwen at November 15, 2007 11:56 PM

I got a pedometer from Micky D's when they were pushing they were healthy back in the day when SuperSize Me came out.

I still use it at the gym.

Posted by: susan at November 16, 2007 05:00 AM

I just sent for my pedometer from Lilly. I guess the point is supposed to be the Cymbalta plus exercise will make you feel better. Notice the order: 1. Cymbalta 2. exercise

Very clever - Lilly gets to take credit for that endorphin high. Reminds me of the "take care of yourself and have a healthy diet" literature they put out when everyone was turning into a balloon and getting diabetes or dying from Zyprexa.

Pretty foxy marketing, except for the Zyprexa knife.

Posted by: Ellen at November 16, 2007 06:53 PM