Bayer, the makers of Aspirin, desperate for more market share, are now branding their headache drug as a cure-all for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Last night, during the National on CBC, I saw a completely irresponsible commercial for Extra Strength Aspirin, which claims that their little pills are the answer for people suffering from CTS.

For those who haven’t seen the ad, it shows a woman typing in an office who must stop typing because of the pain in her wrists. To show the pain, flames shoot from the underside of her wrists. A co-worker approaches her and inquires whether or not the woman is taking a break. When the woman complains about her wrist pain, the co-worker suggests she take Aspirin and get back to work. At the end of the commercial, the woman has taken the Aspirin, no longer suffers from the burning pain and continues typing in an non-ergonomic and damaging way.

Like many computer users, I suffer from CTS and must monitor my time in front of the computer very carefully. The solution to CTS is not a drug that merely masks the pain, but prevention through ergonomic keyboards, mouse pads and a proper computer set-up. Bayer’s ad is just another example of drug companies pushing medication over prevention.

I’ve already written a letter to Bayer, complaining about the commercial and sent it to them via their corporate site. The letter is below. Feel free to copy it, alter it and send it to them as a signal that you won’t stand for their careless and irresponsible marketing. You can submit the letter to this page:
http://www.bayer.ca/display.cfm?Object_ID=66&feedbackArticle_ID=5>

Open letter of complaint to Bayer Canada:

******

Bayer Canada,

As a journalist and sufferer of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), I find your new advertising campaign for Extra Strength Aspirin offensive, insensitive and incredibly irresponsible.

The commercial I am referring to is currently being broadcast on the CBC during the National news program. It shows a woman typing in an office who must stop typing because of the pain in her wrists. To show the pain, flames shoot from the underside of her wrists. A co-worker approaches her and inquires whether or not the woman is taking a break. When the woman complains of her wrist pain, the co-worker suggests she take Aspirin and get back to work. At the end of the commercial, the woman has taken the Aspirin, no longer suffers from the burning pain and continues typing in an non-ergonomic and damaging way.

It is clear from the incorrect way the woman is typing, the non-ergonomic keyboard she is using and from the location of her pain that she is suffering from the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome. As she continues to type she is doing serious damage to her bones and nervous system.

The advice of the co-worker (and Bayer) to take some Aspirin and keep working is incorrect, insensitive and very dangerous. It misleads those suffering from this debilitating condition into thinking that after they pop a little pill the problem is solved and they can keep on working without fear of doing more damage. This is completely wrong. The Arthritis Society of Canada has this to say about pain relieving drugs and CTS:

“Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs – pronounced en-seds) are a type of medication that helps reduce the pain and swelling of the joints and decrease stiffness. However, they do not prevent further joint damage.”
Link: http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/carpal/default.asp?s=1>

The woman typing may not feel the pain anymore, thanks to your drug, but she is still damaging her joints and will only worsen her condition. If she carries on like this for another few weeks, the CTS will further damage her ligaments and tendons and the Aspirin will no longer be enough to stop the pain. She will no longer be able to work, not to mention type. This is essential information that affects the decision of the pain sufferers to use your product and nowhere in your commercial is this information addressed. This is misleading and irresponsible and it must stop.

For these reasons, I am calling for Bayer Canada to immediately pull these dangerous commercials from all television stations. At the very least, a clear message should be inserted into the commercial telling viewers that the woman suffering from CTS needs to take a break from working, see a doctor and improve her working conditions via an ergonomic keyboard, mouse pad and suitable office furniture.

As long as that commercial appears on television I will not buy nor use any Bayer products. I will advise my friends, colleagues and readers to boycott any and all Bayer products until these commercials have been removed or adjusted with a clearer message about the dangerous of CTS.

In addition to sending this letter to you, I am also sending it to the CBC, the Arthritis Society of Canada, The College of Family Physicians of Canada, and posting it on my weblog http://www.liamodonnell.com/feed/>. With this letter and the truth circulating the Internet, a different story about Bayer and CTS can be told. A story that will change the way consumers look at the Bayer brand and hopefully change the irresponsible methods employed to sell your product.
 
I look forward to your prompt reply and response to this matter.

Sincerely,

Liam O’Donnell
http://www.liamodonnell.com
odonnellliam@hotmail.com

*******

In addition to this letter, check out what these other bloggers are saying about Bayer’s misleading commercial:
 
Mel at Chandrasutra: “Irresponsible advertising alert”
Matt at Everything is In/Flux: “Tunneling through the lies”
 
Anyone else seen this commercial, suffering from CTS or talking about this on their blogs? Comments and trackbacks welcome.