BAKERSFIELD, CA—The United States is the top pharmaceutical innovator in the world, and one company is forging new ground in the way that people think about their drugs.
Harper & Gay Pharmaceuticals has spent the last several years working on a problem that is seemingly inherent within the drug research industry: side effects. The human body is a complex system that requires a delicate balance of the correct hormones and nutrients to function at peak. Thus, when medications intended to shift that balance toward correction are introduced, they sometimes tip the scales too far, or have effects that are unforeseeable. This issue has led to patients often feeling hesitant to trying medications, and doctors sometimes avoid prescribing them to seek alternative treatments.
However, Harper & Gay has come up with a new spin on the issue of side effects that they hope will help reduce hesitation. Spokesperson Melodie Isaacson explained, "We've been thinking about this all wrong as a society. What are side effects, really? They are just things that we don't expect. Now, in other places, things we don't expect are called 'surprises.' Almost everyone loves a surprise, so why don't we just think of these side effects like that?"
Isaacson described the new campaign as reframing side effects as "side surprises," in the company's references to things that may occur due to the medications that are not necessarily to be expected. "For example, rather than giving a dull commercial that states how 'side effects may include dry mouth, diarrhea, and itchiness,' our ads will frame them as sort of bonus things than might happen. How about 'in addition to lowering your blood pressure, this medication includes some surprise features, like reducing drool, making it easier to use the restroom, and reminding you it's working!'"
These efforts have made a real difference in focus groups, where people are agreeing to try new medications in droves. "As soon as we lost the worried tone and concerned faces, and started smiling and telling people 'you never know what's going to happen,' there was a significant increase in interest."
"It's really time we embrace the uncertainty in life, really," continued Isaacson. "I mean, is there anything in life that really does what it should? My car sometimes slips out of gear. Rather than get all freaked out, I think of it as a quirky part of life that keeps me on my toes. That's all we're trying to do with these medical side surprises. Why keep scaring people?"
The company encourages all patients to fully consult their physicians when making decisions about which unpredictable features they'd like a chance at experiencing.
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