> He had a problem - how to choose a medicine - and built a product to solve that problem.
No, he didn't have a problem.
He proposes that OTC is the target. The reality is, the problem is not very deep here. Without access to prescription medications, you basically have a handful of options that are more of less the same. It's like walking onto a rental car lot. You need to know what category you need, but everything in that category is pretty much the same.
He isn't solving anything for the physician market. His recommendations are very naive and lack the clinical backing to support actual usage. A physician isn't going to buck their go-to's because a random tool suggests something else. This tool needs to provide scientific backing for it's recommendations and why that recommendation is better.
Yes, this is a problem that a heavily regulated free market actually solved pretty well.
I go to my local grocery store and look at the painkillers they have. There are generic aspirin and Tylenol available for a price almost anyone can afford. There are branded versions which are still reasonably priced. There are reasonable variations such as with caffeine or with decongestant, again priced perfectly fairly. If you want to pay $2 extra for awesome marketing you can.
In some stores you might find a 'natural' remedy - essentially a placebo, again priced ok.
Everything on sale is basically safe. Nothing has a business model that relies on addiction. Nothing costs hundreds of dollars. Nothing is adulterated or counterfeit. It's easy to get information about everything available.
The vast majority people would be able to choose something to match their own needs (for example, they might be allergic to aspirin, or need to avoid Tylenol because of a kidney condition).
If you bought the worst painkiller on sale in the store, it would be fairly effective and not too expensive. The experience in most stores in large parts of the world would be very similar.
No, he didn't have a problem.
He proposes that OTC is the target. The reality is, the problem is not very deep here. Without access to prescription medications, you basically have a handful of options that are more of less the same. It's like walking onto a rental car lot. You need to know what category you need, but everything in that category is pretty much the same.
He isn't solving anything for the physician market. His recommendations are very naive and lack the clinical backing to support actual usage. A physician isn't going to buck their go-to's because a random tool suggests something else. This tool needs to provide scientific backing for it's recommendations and why that recommendation is better.