Direct-to-consumer Advertising Of Prescription Drugs Research Articles

The legal and ethical dimensions of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs: the case of Pfizer and Lipitor in the United States

The current study observes that while several studies have been conducted on the direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs, none has explicitly evaluated the ethical dimension DTCA of prescriptions, as such a knowledge gap still exists with regard to the ethics of DTCAs. To contribute to filling this gap, the current study evaluates the ethical DTCA of prescription drugs using Pfizer’s Lipitor ad, which because of public outcry, was terminated shortly after it was launched. The study concludes that what may be legal may not necessarily be ethical. Thus marketing decision marketers must expand their focus group testing of DTCAs to include assessment of their ethics.

Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to understand EU pharmaceutical policy.

Models of interest group politics can help public health professionals (PHPs) to identify potential allies and establish mechanisms of sustainable political influence. This article focusses on a particular model, known as the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), and its explanations of coalition behaviour, the role of scientific information and the ways in which coalitions can bring about policy change. The analysis illustrates the relevance of the ACF for public health by drawing on examples from the recent policy debate on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs (DTCA-PD) in the European Union (EU). It explores the strengths and weaknesses of the ACF in explaining why ‘control’ of particular governmental units was key to the anti-DTCA coalition success, how the evidence base was used strategically and why the pro-DTCA coalition ultimately failed in bringing about major policy change. The article aims to equip PHPs with a tool which can be used to understand and engage with the policy process. Moreover, in offering a more nuanced view of this process, a case is made for moving beyond traditional, linear conceptions of the policy process and engaging in further research which uses political science concepts to inform the study and practice of public health. The article concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners and researchers, emphasizing the value of political science for the former and the need for the latter to reflect on the accessibility of policy studies for PHPs.

A survey of perceptions and attitudes about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs among college students in South Korea.

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs can be both beneficial and harmful to healthcare consumers. Therefore, DTCA for prescription drugs is a topic that should be considered crucially, at this point, when the interests of patients as well as pharmaceutical companies in DTCA of prescription drugs are growing in South Korea. The goals of this study were to investigate Korean college students’ perceptions and attitudes about DTCA of prescription drugs through a survey as well as to analyze data according to their college majors in order to identify differences in their perceptions and attitudes about prescription drug DTCAs as future health care professionals and consumers, respectively. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and November 2015. Participants were recruited from Chosun University in Gwangju, South Korea. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Chosun University Institutional Review Board. Of 1,040 questionnaires initially distributed, 774 were collected, and 742 were included in the analysis. The results of this study indicated that most students who had participated in the survey did not have sufficient knowledge of DTCA for prescription drugs. Approximately, 17% reported being cognizant of DTCA for prescription drugs. More healthcare students (24.6%) knew this term than non-healthcare students did (6.3%). In this study, most of the students were likely to feel that healthcare professionals (e.g., doctors and pharmacists) had the responsibility of delivering information about prescription drugs to patients, and that all prescription drugs DTCA, if it were permitted, had to be pre-approved by the Korean government. The results of this study indicated that DTCA for prescription drugs had to be permitted under the condition of pre-approval of the DTCA contents by the Korean government, and prescription drugs should not be advertised through the Internet. It is recommended that the Korean government cautiously examine whether DTCA of prescription drugs should be permitted, after considering the current marketing strategies of pharmaceutical companies on the Internet and the effects of online electronic-DTCA on Korean consumers.

The unintended consequences of argument dilution in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of pharmaceutical drugs is often cited as the culprit for inflated patient demand for advertised drugs. Further to this economic concern, we provide an evidence-based psychological account of another concern that warrants the re-examination of the merits of DTC advertising of prescription drugs. Across six experiments and a sample of 3,059 US participants, we find reliable evidence for the argument dilution effect. Specifically, when commercials list severe side effects along with those that are most frequent (which include both serious and minor side effects), as required by the Food and Drug Administration, it dilutes consumers' judgements of the overall severity of the side effects, compared with when only the serious side effects are listed. Furthermore, consumers' reduced judgement of severity leads to greater attraction to those drugs. In regulating pharmaceutical advertisements, the Food and Drug Administration appear to have paradoxically dampened consumers' judgements of overall severity and risk, and increased the marketability of these drugs.

Looking Beyond FDA Warning Letters to Explore Unforeseen Trouble Spots in eDTCA: A Response to Recent Commentaries.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who responded to my study entitled: “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters.”1 Scholars from several different fields, including medical science, pharmacy, business, and communication have all participated in the discussion of current issues and the future of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), bringing multifaceted viewpoints to bear on prescription drug marketing based on their own disciplines. It was a high honor and a truly gratifying experience to receive such valuable comments from colleagues in my own field, as well as scholars who have dedicated their research in DTCA of prescription drugs in other fields. I appreciate their insights into the research on online DTCA of prescription drugs, which enabled me to broaden my perspective on an area of prescription drug promotions that could not only influence consumers, but also other stakeholders, such as policy-makers, clinicians, and marketers. These commentaries expand on ideas of current regulatory issues regarding online promotions, and discuss further unforeseen concerns that might arise due to emerging media options consumers will have in the future—all of which warrant more research and close scholarly attention.

AMA Calls for Ban On Advertising Directed at Consumers

AMA Calls for Ban On Advertising Directed at Consumers

DTC drug advertising ethics: laboratory for medical marketing

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to call for an increased focus on the ethics of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising. This is important, not only to improve DTC prescription drug advertising, but also to inform DTC advertising of future medical advances. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper discusses two examples of medical advances – personal genetic testing services and surgically implanted medical devices – to explain how investigating the research of DTC prescription drug advertising can set the stage for more ethical advertising of future medical advances. Findings – Specific issues related to health literacy, at-risk populations impacted by health disparities, and medicalization of issues common to aging relate to the DTC advertising of prescription drugs and other medical advances. Creative approaches to investigating these issues in the context of prescription drug advertising can enrich the debate about drug advertising, but also prepare researchers, policymakers, and consumers for future advertising of new medical developments. Originality/value – The value of this paper is its call for increased focus on the ethics of DTC prescription drug advertising, to improve the current marketing environment but also lay the foundation for other healthcare marketing in the future.

Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising: Time to Turn Off the Tube?

Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising: Time to Turn Off the Tube?

FromDTCA‐PDto patient information to health information: the complex politics and semantics ofEUhealth policy

Between 2001 and 2011 the pharmaceutical industry, supported by DG Enterprise, was engaged in an ongoing campaign to repeal/amend the European Union (EU) ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs (DTCA-PD). As it became increasingly clear that the ban would not be repealed, DTCA-PD supporters tried to shift the debate away from advertising and towards the provision of 'patient information' and the rights of patients to access such information. Meanwhile, a variety of national and European health organizations, supported by DG SANCO, sought to maintain the ban and oppose the industry-supported 'patient information' campaign. Instead, they promoted a concept of 'health information' that included all aspects of citizens' health, not just pharmaceuticals. This article aims to analyse the transition from DTCA-PD to patient information to health information and examine its implications for EU health policy as a complex policy space. The article examines the emergence and development of EU health policy and the evolution of the DTCA-PD debate through the lens of complexity theory. It analyses the nature of the semantic, political and policy transition and asks why it occurred, what it tells us about EU health policy and future EU health legislation and how it may be understood from a complexity perspective. The article concludes that the complexity framework is ideally suited for the field of public health and, in particular, the DTCA-PD debate. Having successfully shifted the policy-focus of the debate to patients' rights and health information, opponents of the legislation are likely to face their next battle in the realm of cyberspace, where regulatory issues change the nature of advertising.

DTC Ad Guidelines Tightened, but Congress May Want More

DTC Ad Guidelines Tightened, but Congress May Want More

FDA Reviews Rules Governing Drug Ads For Consumers

Back to table of contents Next article Government NewsFull AccessFDA Reviews Rules Governing Drug Ads For ConsumersRich DalyRich DalySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:2 Dec 2005https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.40.23.0001The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering whether to modify its policy on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, which was relaxed in 1997, prompting an advertising explosion. Many physicians maintain that the ads need to be improved.The 1997 policy change led to a marketing explosion, with pharmaceutical ads promoting prescription products on television and radio, in print, and on the Internet estimated to cost at least $4 billion annually.During public hearings on the issue in November in Washington, D.C., physicians and public-health advocates told regulators that the ads can be informative at their best and create unwarranted demands for drugs at their worst.Joseph Cranston, Ph.D., director of Science, Research, and Technology at the AMA, testified that DTC advertising has been a topic of debate among his organization's membership, which is considering recommending a ban on such ads.However, it remains unclear whether the FDA has the authority to impose such an advertising moratorium, according to Robert Temple, M.D., director of the Office of Medical Policy at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.Some legislators already support a moratorium. Prominent among them is Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who said he would back a two-year moratorium. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) said that beginning in 2006 its members will voluntarily delay broadcast ads of new products for six months after introduction. The policy does not apply to print ads.Current FDA regulations require ads to be submitted for review at some time during an ad campaign. In 2004, 586 TV ads and 52,848 other types of promotions were submitted to the agency. Consumer advocates urged the FDA to change its policy to require agency clearance of an ad before it is broadcast or printed.Revisions in FDA policy are unlikely to come until next spring, while the agency continues to accept comments on the issue through the end of February 2006, according to regulators.The range of issues at the November public hearing included industry groups' claims that the DTC advertising of prescription drugs can lead to better health care and consumer groups' suggestions that they can mislead the public.Drug makers defended the ads, saying that they motivate people to seek a doctor's help. J. Patrick Kelly, president of Pfizer U.S. Pharmaceuticals, said that 65 million people have talked to a doctor as a result of the ads and that 29 million had discussed a condition for the first time, according to a study by Prevention magazine.DTC ads have been under scrutiny since the fall 2004 recall of Vioxx, due to risk of cardiac complications. The drug was heavily promoted to consumers, with the manufacturer, Merck & Co., spending up to $160 million annually on such Vioxx ads.DTC ads are acceptable, Cranston said, when they enhance patient education about medical conditions, balance their presentation of the drug's risk with its benefits, facilitate physician/patient communication, and are withheld from release until physicians have been educated about a new drug.But several studies have raised serious questions about the negative aspects of DTC ads, such as lack of information on the condition the drug aims to treat, using emotional appeals, and presenting inflated benefits of the drug.“These studies raise the question of whether commercially driven direct-to-consumer ads are as informative as they need to be,” Cranston said.Cranston said research has found that the ads tend to improve communication between physicians and patients, but a subset of patients will insist a physician prescribe a specific drug due to advertising they saw.When asked by an FDA official how to improve the balance between the presentation of risks and benefits in television ads, Cranston said regulators should seek consultants to suggest guidelines to encourage a balance.The AMA is preparing a report on the ads and will consider recommendations, including two calling for ad bans, in June 2006.Temple said the FDA is not considering changes to the advertising requirements for direct-to-physician advertising, which is estimated to exceed $5 billion annually.PhRMA advertising principles are posted at<www.phrma.org/publications/policy/admin/2005-08-02.1194.pdf>.▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Examination of the Relationship between Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Expenditure and Price

Objective: Examine the relationship between direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) expenditure and prescription drug price from 1997 to 2000 for the top 20 advertised drugs of 1998. Method: The 20 prescription drugs were selected based on DTCA expenditure for 1998 as published in Med AD News. Drug prices were determined using the average wholesale price. Trend graphs were plotted between DTCA expenditure and unit price. The correlation coefficient was calculated between percent change in DTCA expenditure and unit price between 1998 and 2000. Results: There was a negative nonsignificant correlation between the percent change in DTCA expenditure and unit price between 1998 and 2000. All drugs had an increase in price but only half of the drugs showed an increase in percent change in DTCA expenditure whereas, the other half had a decrease in DTCA expenditure. Conclusion: Even though every year the industry spends millions of dollars on DTCA of prescription drugs we cannot conclude that it influences drug prices.

A Review of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Advertising and Sales of Prescription Drugs: Does DTC Advertising Increase Sales and Market Share?

ABSTRACTDirect-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription pharmaceuticals grew from $48.2 million in 1990 to $594.5 million in 1996 and reached $1.3 billion in 1998. Proponents of DTC advertising of prescription drugs claim that it raises public awareness of new treatment options, whereas critics contend that DTC ads lead to unnecessary demand for expensive new drugs. Both advocates and critics believe that, overall, DTC advertising of prescription drugs increases sales, but the evidence shows that expenditure on DTC advertising does not always correlate with market share within the drug category. To investigate the impact of DTC advertising on prescription pharmaceutical sales and market share, this paper examines DTC advertising expenditures and sales of 16 brands in 4 widely advertised prescription drug categories: antihistamines, nail fungus medications, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and antidepressants.

What kind of patients and physicians value direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs can enhance the physician-patient relationship, as well as benefiting its sponsor. However, overall benefits can only occur if the patients value the information enough to discuss it with their physicians and the physicians are not predisposed against the DTC information. We investigate the impact of demographics and exposure to marketing on consumers' and physicians' receptiveness to DTC advertising of prescription drugs, using data from two nationwide surveys. We find that consumers who have an ongoing need for health care, that is, those with children or with a chronic condition requiring medication, value prescription drug advertising more highly, while older consumers, consumers who have been sick recently, or more educated consumers are more likely to trust their physicians instead. We find that more experienced physicians, physicians who see more patients, or those who have more exposure to pharmaceutical advertisements are more accepting of DTC advertising of prescription drugs.