When I wrote my first editorial more than 2 years ago as the new editor of Physical Therapy Products, Bextra®, manufactured by Pfizer, New York, had just been pulled off the market. Bextra's exit from the US consumer market followed relatively closely behind the extraction of another widely used medicine, Vioxx®, manufactured by Merck & Co Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ. While it seemed that the trend at the time was the skepticism about pain-relieving drugs, one would hardly believe that today. The downfall of Bextra and Vioxx was a mere dent in the booming pharmaceutical drug industry.

According to new analysis by the Associated Press of federal drug prescription data, retail sales of five leading painkillers nearly doubled from 1997 to 2005¹. This reflects a surge in use by patients nationwide who are living in a world of pain, according to the article. Yes, it could be true that patients who suffered silently prior to recent medical advances of prescription drugs are finally finding relief from chronic pain. But isn't it also true that prescription drug companies have become master marketers of their products, reassuring the American public that there is a magic pill out there for every ailment that we are experiencing?

If it isn't heartburn, depression, or osteoarthritis that we need to take drugs for, it might be high cholesterol, anxiety, or even impotence. Sure, people who have these conditions should have the option of taking medicine to help their condition; however, the mass marketing of the drugs has led to casual depiction of the ailments the drugs claim to treat. It's hard to sit through a 1-hour television show without being bombarded with numerous advertisements for prescription drugs that promise to make ourselves happier and our lives more fulfilling.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) released a statement in light of the Associated Press article urging consumers to consider the benefits of a PT's intervention for pain relief from certain chronic conditions. For example, PT involvement in treating osteoarthritis may include exercises for strength, flexibility, and range of motion. The APTA recently released another statement pushing the federal government to place a higher priority on funding research on rehabilitation therapy. Two key areas that the APTA outlined are enhanced opportunities for training new scientists in rehabilitation and disability research, and collaboration with other federal agencies to reduce payment limits on clinical research.

Both of these recent statements are great steps in promoting the benefits of physical therapy and the importance of continued research support for rehabilitation therapies. However, the APTA cannot promote alternative and/or adjunct treatments to medication by itself. The pharmaceutical companies need to be faced head on by all of the national medical groups and allied health fields. With a strong unified message, perhaps consumers will not turn instinctively to drugs first, but will consider other forms of pain and symptom relief. Let me know how you feel about the prevalence of drug advertising—I'll share the most interesting responses with our readers.

Arati Murti

Reference:

1. Frank B. Pain medicine use has nearly doubled. Available at: hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories.... Accessed August 22, 2007.