Dr. Robert Jarvik is the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart. He's an M.D. but he never actually practiced medicine. Instead he changed the course of medicine, through his work. He's also a spokesperson for Pfizer's Lipitor.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is now going after Pfizer and their advertising for Lipitor using the fact that Dr. Jarvik is not a "practicing physician with a valid license in any state."
Today they announed their investigating of the use of celebrity endorsements in marketing prescription drugs directly to consumers and published their letter to Pfizer's chairman, Jeff Kindler.
“In the ads, Dr. Jarvik appears to be giving medical advice, but apparently, he has never obtained a license to practice or prescribe medicine,” John Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the committee, said in a press release.
Quite frankly, I'm shaking my head a bit.
It is one thing to go after celebrities who know nothing about medicine and another to go after a guy who happens to have contributed more to medicine than most practicing docs.
Apparently, Dr. Jarvik had trouble getting into U.S. medical schools and initially studied medicine in Italy, at the University of Bologna, leaving after two years. In 1976, Jarvik graduated from the University of Utah’s med school.
Now Dr. Jarvik is being ridiculed for his low grades that forced him to study in Italy and the fact that he didn't ever practice medicine.
This is grossly unfair. He clearly went through fire to get his medical degree and had more motivation than most. He then continued a career which led to one of the most notable breakthroughs in medicine.
To get on his case and the fact that Pfizer is using him as a spokesperson is simply wrong.
I have no problem going after celebrity spokespeople with no medical degrees, but dragging Dr. Jarvik through the mud, because he focused on where he could make a difference in medicine, doesn't make sense.
Pfizer responded to the news with a statement saying: "Dr. Jarvik is a respected health care professional and heart expert. Dr. Jarvik, inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, knows how imperative it is for patients to do everything they can to keep their heart working well. "
I couldn't agree more. Move on, Congress, surely you can find a better example of celebrity spokesperson abuse.
An interesting comment to a post I made back in 2006 about Jarvik suggests that he stole a lot of the credit for inventing the artificial heart from Paul Winchell, the famous pupeteer. It is an incredible story. Read it here: "Lipitor's Jarvik: Fop or Flop?" at http://pharmamkting.blogspot.com/2006/10/lipitors-jarvik-fop-or-flop.html
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