Summary of the article:

The Health Authority of Singapore (HSA) is increasingly concerned about the advertisements and campaigns drug companies run. It has earlier allowed such companies to run educational campaigns to educate the public about their drug products such that consumers are better informed. However, HSA discovered that companies have been misusing their campaigns to their own benefits by providing little useful facts and in fact are playing on emotions as a tactic to boost their own profit margins.

Review:

This article brings up a very good point about the important role pharmaceutical companies can assume, in raising the awareness of several diseases that do pose a high risk factor to certain groups of people in Singapore. The effect is, as the article mentioned, useful in alerting Singaporeans about the variety of preventive measures available to them. However, this would inevitably entail the employment of mass media, which could potentially and easily be abused in favour of the company behind the ad.

Such so-called educational campaigns should never resort to the usage of ‘scare tactics’ as a means to increase demand of their own products. It is unethical, as it makes use of a human being’s natural fear of sickness and death to increase profits and drive their business forward. Unfortunately, it is a fact that ‘scare tactics’ are being used in many advertising media in the world today, not only in these so-called educational campaigns run by pharmaceutical companies. Thankfully, the Health and Sciences Authority (HSA) is making a commendable effort in preventing such ‘scare tactics’ from influencing people to buy or request for drugs that they do not require.

There is a fine balance to be maintained in this matter and it can be maintained as long as pharmaceutical companies bear in mind that ultimately, the health of the general public should be their topmost priority and concern at the end of the day.

Comments?Feel free to leave a tag on the tagboard(: