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March 30, 2009
Online health quiz allows pharmaceutical companies to market drugs to their users
On its front page, the New York Times (3/26, A1, Clifford) reports, "Americans yearn to be young. So it is little wonder that RealAge, which promises to help shave years off your age, has become one of the most popular tests on the Internet."
The test "asks 150 or so questions about lifestyle and family history to assign a 'biological age,' how young or old your habits make you," and "makes recommendations on how to get 'younger.'"
The website "makes its money," however, by acting "as a clearinghouse for" pharmaceutical "companies, including Pfizer, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline, allowing them to use almost any combination of answers from the test to find people to market to, including whether someone is taking antidepressants, how sexually active they are, and even if their marriage is happy."
Posted by admin at March 30, 2009 07:19 PM