Anyone else getting annoyed by all the Prevagen commercials?

[Zorro]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Can anyone explain how something derived from jellyfish -- which don't have a brain -- are supposed to help memory loss?

These commercials are popping up regularly on nightly news broadcasts, which I guess supposedly gives them some sense of legitimacy or authenticity. But geez, what a scam...

[Walleye]

1. Um. I don't remember

[JohnSJ]

8. Ya beat me to it. +++

[Walleye]

19. Ah, a fellow smartass

[JohnSJ]

23. Yes

[live love laugh]

14. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[drray23]

2. I do not know if it's a scam or not

but the fact it comes from a jellyfish, or a plant would not automatically mean its fake.

An astounding number of medicinal compounds were initially discovered in nature. Nowadays, we synthetize drugs, but we still look at chemical compounds occurring in nature (animals, plants, mushrooms, etc..) for ideas.

[USALiberal]

9. Is there a study proving it works? Nt

[drray23]

17. again my comment is not specific to this drug

I was just saying that thinking its fake because it comes from a natural compound found in Jellyfish is not necessarily true. I dont know if that particular drug works.

[USALiberal]

22. I totally agree, commercials being fake. It's a scam in my opinion.

[dem4decades]

3. My friend was taking it, it didn't help. I asked my Dr about it and she pretty much said there

wasn't any product that would help. That's all I know other than that I too see all the commercials, but now I think it's all BS.

[JanMichael]

4. It is gross manipulation of fear of Alzheimer's.

The ads are such crap. I think there is an ongoing suit about false advertising but I don't remember...ha ha. Fucking assholes.

[hlthe2b]

5. No valid evidence that it works and is expensive as heck for those for whom it is targeted. So yes.

That annoys me. Not to mention that the manufacturer walks right up to the line of saying it is "FDA-Approved for memory loss." It is NOT.

The ridiculously small self-funded study it refers to as "evidence of its effectiveness is summarized on a pretty lay term basis here:

The evidence to support Prevagen’s use is limited and flawed. Quincy Bioscience published a small study in 2016 comparing 10 mg of apoaequorin per day to placebo (a pill with no medication in it) for 90 days. All study participants self-identified as having memory problems, but none had any serious memory loss conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

At the end of the study, people taking apoaequorin had higher scores than those taking placebo on some of the tests used to measure their overall memory. The study authors noted the difference between the two groups was significant, and Quincy Bioscience — who also sponsored the study — has been using these results to back up Prevagen’s claims.

But there are a few issues with the study. First, it only included a little over 200 participants and only ran for 90 days. This number of people is smaller than what we typically require when trying to prove a medication is effective for the general population. Also, conducting the study for only 90 days means we don’t know the long-term safety or effectiveness of Prevagen.

Another problem with this study is the types of tests the researchers used to test memory. None of the cognitive assessments used in this study are standard tests used by healthcare providers to look for and diagnose memory loss conditions. Using a non-standard test makes the results difficult to interpret, so we can’t say for sure just how effective Prevagen is.

https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/supplements-herbs/prevagen-for-memory-loss-claims

[milestogo]

6. Bullshit for sale.

[wishstar]

7. Prevagen lost class action suit against them for making false claims but is allowed to run these ads

Apparently Prevagen has gotten around the lawsuit issue of making false or unsubstantiated claims as long as they just air testimonials from users rather than making the claims directly from the company.

The reason they run so many Prevagen ads during nightly news is to target older viewers who are considered the primary demographic most likely to be watching evening mainstream network news.

[GoCubsGo]

10. I'm annoyed by all of the drug and supplement ads.

Every freaking commercial break has at least one. It gets worse by the day.

[llmart]

12. Yeah, me too.

I actually think they should be banned like cigarette commercials.

[GoCubsGo]

18. I don't even understand why they show them.

They all require a prescription, but they're not even aimed at the people who will do the prescribing. It's always "Ask your doctor..." Is it cheaper to run ads, rather than hire pharmaceutical reps, or what?

[ecstatic]

11. getting regular sleep and vitamins helps a lot

with memory. Easier said than done, of course.

[DET]

13. Click...

Those ads drive me crazy. Total scam targeting seniors who are terrified of losing it. I’m torn between feeling sorry for the people who fall for this crap and angry at them for being so stupid.

[live love laugh]

15. Sadly new MDs pay attention to those ads and prescribe this junk.

They have no frame of reference for a time when America didn’t even allow drug ads. Nor do many of them or our citizens know that these ads aren’t even allowed in other countries.

[question everything]

16. I doubt that it can cross the blood-brain barrier

and I think that this actor who is supposed to have a degree in neurobiology is also pushing a similar product because... she has a science degree.

This is really something that the FDA should go after for unproven claims instead of other product like orange juice.

[doc03]

20. I am annoyed by every prescription drug advertisement. There are drug reps that give doctors

samples of their drugs and push doctors to prescribe them and I suspect there is money and perks exchanged.
I don't think prescription drugs should be advertised period. Doctors are supposed to prescribe drugs not take orders from their patients.

No I am not a doctor and don't play one on TV either.

[Raine]

21. I HATE all those prescription drug commercials, every one of them!! 😡🤬nt

[Omaha Steve]

24. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

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