Lawmakers can’t understand why celebrities are endorsing certain prescription medications, according to FDA news, and they are going to do something about it.

The first celebrity under investigation, Robert Jarvik, appears in ads for Pfizer’s cholesterol-lowering medication, Lipitor. In the ads, Jarvik gives medical advice to prospective consumers, even though he isn’t a doctor. This has lawmakers worried, including House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), and they requested Pfizer’s records regarding the advertisements.
 
Robert Jarvik | Personal Injury Lawyer
 
Robert Jarvik is the inventor of the artificial heart, and he takes Lipitor himself. However, Jarvik says in the ad that he is a doctor, misleading people into thinking he is a doctor of medicine, when in reality he has a degree in science (and dropped out of medical school).
 
Celebrity endorsements like Jarvik’s mean big business for drug companies. Last year alone they spent more than $4.8 billion on advertising. And Jarvik isn’t alone: Sen. Bob Dole appeared for Viagra while Sally Field appeared for Boniva.
 
Sally Field | Injury.com
 
The records requested by Dingell and Stupak include:
 
  • records relating to the advertising campaign
  • records relating to Jarvik’s association with Pfizer
  • financial records of Jarvik’s association with Pfizer
  • records relating to the truthfulness of Jarvik’s claims about Lipitor
  • records regarding Jarvik’s professional qualifications
 

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