Remember the jingle that went, "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!"? Although the ad was lampooned by comedians, Detrol became a $1 billion hit.
The frequent urges that used to be considered a natural byproduct of aging have become the drug industry's disease du jour. About 17 million men and women in the U.S. have bladder problems. Half of all men over age 50, or about 20 million men in the U.S., have a condition drugs can treat, enlarged prostate.
In 2006, pharmaceutical companies poured $238.8 million into ads for drugs to treat these embarrassing bladder symptoms. That's 37% more than the industry spent pitching such drugs in 2005, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
One TV ad features animated water balloons representing, well, you know. Another depicts four cycling and kayaking Baby Boomers looking happy, one assumes, because they don't have to find a restroom.
Some doctors say the ads are driving more people to seek medical advice, leading to earlier detection of serious problems such as cancer or blockages that need to be fixed with surgery.
Source: BusinessWeek, March 12, 2007
The frequent urges that used to be considered a natural byproduct of aging have become the drug industry's disease du jour. About 17 million men and women in the U.S. have bladder problems. Half of all men over age 50, or about 20 million men in the U.S., have a condition drugs can treat, enlarged prostate.
In 2006, pharmaceutical companies poured $238.8 million into ads for drugs to treat these embarrassing bladder symptoms. That's 37% more than the industry spent pitching such drugs in 2005, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
Some doctors say the ads are driving more people to seek medical advice, leading to earlier detection of serious problems such as cancer or blockages that need to be fixed with surgery.
Source: BusinessWeek, March 12, 2007