Heath Ledger's Legacy For Drug Marketers

The death of Heath Ledger may have a silver lining for drug marketers: The public may finally pay attention to their efforts to dissuade consumers from abusing OTC and prescription medicines.

Medicine abuse is a difficult issue for drug marketers. Most brands rely on "safety" as a distinct part of their equity. Drawing attention to the fact that some people use them in unsafe ways risks contaminating that equity, even if the intent is to safeguard consumers' health. A U.C. San Diego study published in July found that Ledger was not alone. Deaths from medicine misuse totaled 224,355 between 1983 and 2004