Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals: An Integrative Review

Abstract

This chapter provides an integrative review of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription pharmaceuticals. We introduce the history and current trends of DTCA in the USA and in other countries. Then, we discuss research methods and databases appropriate for DTCA studies. We review past literature on DTCA related to different stakeholders: (1) DTCA and patients; (2) DTCA and physicians; (3) welfare effects of DTCA and government regulation; (4) DTCA and pharmaceutical firms. Our review of the literature indicates that this topic has received attention in multiple fields, including marketing, health economics, medicine, public policy, and law and economics. However, it remains a “hot” topic with near daily coverage in the media, providing rich fodder for new and interesting research questions that are important to firms, patients, and policy makers. Finally, we have identified a few unresolved research questions that we believe are significant and worthy of future research.