Now that the Food & Drug Administration has loosened restraints on pharmaceutical commercials, celebrities are helping diagnose

Does This Face Make You Want to Take Drugs

Now that the Food & Drug Administration has loosened restraints on pharmaceutical commercials, celebrities are helping diagnose America.

Joan Lunden, former Good Morning, America anchor: The first celebrity hired by a pharmaceutical firm for a direct-to-consumer television campaign, in July 1998. Promoting the allergy drug Claritin, one spot features Lunden on the set of a fictional TV program. The aggressive campaign helped worldwide sales soar by 35 percent that year to $2.3 billion, including $1.9 billion in U.S. sales.

Cal Ripkin Cal Ripken, baseball star: Hired by Merck, maker of the hypertension drug Prinivil. Ripkin does not suffer from high blood pressure. "Cal symbolizes hard work and a solid work ethic," said a Merck spokesman. "And Prinivil provides hard work ethic against a disease."

Jennie Garth, Beverly Hills, 90210: Hired by Glaxo Wellcome to pitch migraine medication Imitrex.

Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos: Hired to talk to groups about his experience with migraine leader Migranol. Davis used the nasal spray during the 1998 Super Bowl, in which Davis was named Most Valuable Player.

Maureen Reagan, daughter of Ronald: Hired by Novartis Pharmaceuticals to promote an Alzheimer’s treatment. "We wanted a spokesperson to be someone with personal experience," said a Novartis rep.

Olympia Dukakis: Hired by Novartis for its osteoporosis awareness campaign. Dukakis did indeed have the bone loss disease; whether she uses the company’s Miacalcin nasal spray is unknown.

Gavin MacLeod, Love Boat: Led a consumer awareness campaign about impotence for Vivus Inc., which markets Muse, an anti-impotence drug given by injection. MacLeod did not personally use Muse; whether he is impotent is unknown.

Stephanie Powers

Stephanie Powers: Hired by the maker of Ditropan XL, an overactive bladder treatment. Powers does not have an overactive bladder.

The Celebrity Effect

Chris Reeve If you're going get sick, it helps to catch something a celebrity has. Spinal-cord research is now segmented into pre-Reeve/post-Reeve eras. "In many ways, Christopher Reeve has done for spinal-cord injury awareness what Michael Jordon has been able to do for Nike," says William Stokkan, executive director of the Miami Project. Since falling off a horse in 1985, Reeve's smiling head has brought in millions of dollars tagged for spinal-cord research.