Introducing Pat to the Public

Once Pat is approved by the FDA for use by patients, we tell your doctor about him. We also want to tell you. Today more than ever, you need to take more control of your own health care. When there is a new treatment, people who might be helped should know about it.

For some medicines, we place ads on television and the radio; in magazines and newspapers. This helps to tell people about the symptoms of a disease as well as about the medicine. If you think you have one of these symptoms, you should call your doctor. If you need medicine, your doctor can pick the one that is right for you.

Getting to the doctor is a good way to stay healthy and live longer. A 2002 Prevention magazine survey found that nearly 25 million Americans spoke with their doctor because they saw an ad for a drug. More than 40% of the people who saw their doctor after seeing an ad found out they were sick. They had conditions like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Getting treated for these helps people stay healthy and live longer.

But there is much work to be done. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that millions of adults do not see a doctor or get the medicines they need. If our ads help to get people to the doctor, then that is good business for us. It is also good health for Americans.

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