Earlier this summer, Kim Kardashian West fell on the wrong side of the FDA for promoting Diclegis for morning sickness. On August 7th, the FDA Office of Prescription Drug Promotion declared that Kardashian failed to fully disclose the medication information, including all the risks. Upon further investigation, it was found that the drug company had been paying the celebrity to promote their product. One has to wonder if this was an attempt by big Pharma to side-step FDA promoting guidelines. But, this even clearly demonstrates why we should not take medical advice from the Kardashians or any celebrities for that matter.
Why medical advice from celebrities can be dangerous?
– When Kim Kardashian omitted all the risks in her promotion of Diclegis, it is all together possible that she simply does not know the risks. DO we want to take medicine based on the advice of someone who does not know the harm that medication?
– She was being paid for this promotion so she had a clear financial incentive to highlight the benefits of the medication while discounting all of its side effects. That is why the FDA has banned this type of promotion. We want patients to be informed decision makers…..not victims of drug company scams.
– Celebrities do not actually care about your health. They are trying to become famous and make money.
– Celebrities like Kardashian never received any actual medical training. Their ability to role play or strike a pose is not the medical learning that should lend to promoting medicines.
– People idolize celebrities and that makes many believe everything they are saying. They should not be allowed to promote medical treatments just because of their celebrity status. They should be held to a higher accountability for the claims they make in the public eye.
While I am just discussing Kardashian because that is the story that has been in the media recently, the same holds true for all celebrities. Jim Carey went on a rant this summer speaking out against the evils of vaccines, again without any basis in medical facts. But, because of his status, people listen to him and people forgo vaccines based on his preaching on the subject. Yet, when kids die from vaccine-preventable disease, he bears no responsibility for his actions or false claims.
Doctors need to disclose financial conflicts of interest. Whenever a doctor speaks at a conference, he/she must disclose any conflicts of interest they may have. Yet, celebrities do not have to do this. They are free to promote anything they want. It is good that the FDA came down on Kardashian but that is just a small step. She has since removed her promotional messages but not before she got the word out. And she received merely a warning letter from the FDA. We all need to take a stronger stance on the dissemination of medical information. And doctors need ton lead the way. It is unacceptable that those at the helm of promoting medical practices are celebrities like the Kardashians. We need responsible promoting and to make sure patients receive accurate medical information. Anything less is just unfair to patients.
