Pfizer and Dr.Jarvik

I recently read about the controversy that has come up when Robert Jarvik promoted Lipitor, the cholesterol lowering drug for Pfizer. The FDA says that this endorsement might misguide the viewers because Dr.Jarvik is more of a celebrity than a practicing doctor when it comes to his past credentials. I have my own reservations related to this argument. It is very obvious for the consumers to prefer a product endorsed by a celebrity. But the question is that how ethical is it to obtain a testimonial by someone who, although being the celebrity is not the right person to address that field? Dr. Jarvik was although the inventor of the first human mechanical heart, he is actually found to be less successful when it comes to the longevity or compatibility of the invention with the human body.

I think that it is not right to influence the perception of the consumers in this way especially when it is in the field of medicine/health. I also think that providing his approval for Lipitor could be one reason to make himself appear close to “human heart” and hence increase the chances of the success of artificial heart and other work in future. So is it really wise for two companies to get in touch with each other and act in such a way that it caters to the long term interests of the companies, but could be harmful to the society as a whole? People trust the advertisements and often rely on them about their discretion to purchase it or not. Therefore it would have been much wiser for the company to let the common user speak about the pluses of the product, rather than bring in a celebrity enact as the expert of the field.

Ref: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16039753/?%5benter%20URL) and
Wall street Journal Feb, 29 2008).