Record-High Drug Company Marketing; Skyrocketing Pain Medication Use

Before I get to my commentary on the U.S. obsession with pain medication, I wanted to tell my loyal readers about the jam session I had at my house on Saturday. Johnny B.'s Jam-bo Rama was a great success. About eight of my buds came over, and we jammed past 1 a.m.

We jammed the blues, played some songs by Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, Springsteen, Leon Russell, Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots and may other artists. As soon as I get some photos, I'll post them here for you to see.

Now, let's get to my commentary.

This morning, a story about the trend in pain-medication prescriptions in the United States caught my eye. The story cites a study conducted by the Associated Press and finds that between 1997 and 2005 the sale of five major prescription painkillers rose 88%.

The painkillers are: codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone a meperidine.

The story cites three main reasons for the increase. First, an aging population. As the population ages, so does the need for pain medications. Makes sense.

The second reason is record marketing spending by pharmaceutical companies. Markeing spending rose to nearly $30 billion in 2005 from $11 billion in 1997. That's a 172% increase! Makes sick sense because the motivation is profit, not well-being.

The third reason is the change in the medical field's change in pain management philosophy. Many doctors now see pain management as important in recovering from an illness or injury. That makes sense, but there are doctors out there who overprescribe for various reasons.

Sure, pain medication can be a good thing when it is prescribed responsibly to patients that really need it. But there's a lot of abuse, and the drug companies have a lot to do with it. They make the drugs, and they market the hell out of them.

Have you ever been to the doctor's office when the sexy pharmaceutical rep comes in with her suitcase full of samples? I have. And I am sure the sweet-talking rep makes a great pitch and gives plenty of incentives to prescribe the latest medications to patients.

It's no wonder emergency room visits due to painkiller abuse have risen more than 160% since 1995.

There have been some high-profile arrests of doctors who overprescribe pain medications, but when are the drug companies going to be called onto the carpet for their reckless promotion of these pain medications? Ha.

Don't count on that happening anytime soon, especially when profit margins remain three to four times higher than other Fortune 500 companies.