Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Bay Area Reporter - March 16, 2001
Jeff Getty, Survive AIDS Writers Pool
DPH surveyed some 262 patients at city clinics that treat sexually transmitted diseases and found that 62 percent of respondents thought that HIV ads caused unsafe sexual behavior.
"I believe the HIV ads may play a role in the increasing treatment optimism. Treatment optimism or the belief that treatments make HIV a more curable, manageable infection has been shown to be associated with increases in unsafe sexual behavior among certain populations," said DPH's Dr. Jeff Klausner.
Activists have grown more concerned about the use of young and sexually attractive models in HIV drug ads. The models, even if infected at age 21, would mostly still be in the earliest stages of HIV at the time they pose for certain HIV drug ads such as Bristol-Myers Squibb's "I'm Positive! and I take Zerit" ad. The Zerit ad features a scantily clad sexy young man as a Zerit user. Most of these models would not likely have full-blown AIDS yet. Recently released government guidelines for AIDS treatment indicate that patients should not take the HIV drugs until they have progressed to AIDS or have a T-cell count below 200.
"These ads are both misleading about what one looks like with the disease, and more alarmingly, when one should begin treatment," said Michael Lauro, a Survive AIDS activist.
Klausner said that he is worried about the effects the ads are having on high-risk populations in the city. "The ads are clearly using sex to sell medications for a sexually transmitted disease. I think this is problematic and is like using Big Macs to sell cholesterol-lowering drugs," he said.
Klausner and some activists have met with Food and Drug Administration officials and have asked for federal regulatory assistance. "It would be easy for drug companies to insert prevention messages in their ads and make them more balanced. Either the idea never occurred to them or they are not interested in preventing HIV," added Klausner.
The FDA's Richard Klein indicated that the agency would consider sending a letter asking drug companies to tone down the ads. "We share the community's concerns about these ads and are working internally to try and find a way that the FDA can help solve the problem," said Klein.
Drug companies have thus far responded in an article appearing in the March 14 edition of New York's Newsday newspaper. In the article, written by Laurie Garrett, Bristol-Myers Squibb representatives said that "direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs improves public health by prompting people to see their doctors and become more involved in their health." Merck also defended its right to market HIV drugs.
According to Klausner, one drug company had been contacted about the danger. "I wrote a letter to Merck in November asking them to reconsider their 'mountain climbing' ad campaign for Crixivan because I thought it gave the wrong message and might be contributing to persons' perceptions that HIV is a curable, manageable disease and resultant increases in unsafe sexual behavior. Merck replied that they did not believe their ads were misleading or that there was any association with their ads and increased risk behaviors. Obviously, the drug companies are not going to voluntarily deal with this important issue," he said.
This week, Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano called for a public hearing to look into the issue. Activists have asked for Ammiano's help in banning the ads on spaces such as buses, bus shelters, and other city property. Ammiano has seen DPH's preliminary survey data and is very concerned. "These drug companies could be liable for increases in HIV infection here in our city," Ammiano said.
DPH officials plan to continue current surveys monitoring drug ad influence on gay men, and likely will publish a report later this year.
"It is my job to chip away at different factors that might be related to these increases and protect the health of San Franciscans," Klausner said.
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