An Anti-DTC Crossword Puzzle: What's Next?

One of my daily routines is to solve 2 or 3 crossword puzzles using the "Crosswords" app on my iPad. I'm not among the TOP 100 solvers in the "Leaderboard," but I just do it for fun and to exercise the brain. I've heard that this sort of thing can help prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Speaking about health, the theme of today's Newsday crossword puzzle was "HEAL THYSELF?" "Ah ha!," said I, "I should be able to solve this one quickly and be among the top ten!" But the clues were a bit tricky and I wasn't able to get it 100% correct without some hints.

But I was able to solve the theme message of the puzzle, which was a three-part quip. It turns out that this was an anti TV drug ad quip as shown in the screen shot of the puzzle below:

The quip is highlighted in blue: "ASK YOUR DOCTOR IF TAKING MEDICAL ADVICE FROM A TV AD IS RIGHT FOR YOU"

Of course, this quip is a takeoff of the call to action of every direct-to-consumer (DTC) TV ad: "Ask Your Doctor if [INSERT BRAND NAME DRUG HERE] is right for you."

These days, you never know where you are going to run into anti DTC sentiment. First, it's a former pharma president (see "Drop TV Ads, Says John LaMattina, Former Pfizer President of R&D"). Now it's a crossword puzzle author. Where will we see it next? Congress? Time will tell.