This paper examines attitudes of physicians toward direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Physician awareness of DTCA continues at a very high level, although, negative attitudes may impair its usefulness. This study identified shortcomings of DTCA and physician concerns that could be addressed by marketers. For example, three quarters of physicians agree strongly or somewhat that DTCA does not provide adequate information on the risks and benefits of advertised products. More than half of the physicians (53 per cent) believe DTCA results in many patients requesting unnecessary prescriptions and an even greater percentage (66 per cent) believe DTCA creates a preference for brands when lower-cost generics would be sufficient. The negativism of physicians should cause marketers to ask if their return on DTCA is worth the cost.
WilkesM. S.BellR. A.KravitzR. (2000). Direct to consumer prescription drug advertising: Trends, impact, and implications. Health Affair. 19(2), 110–128.
4.
PalumboF. B.MullinsC. D. (2002). The development of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising regulation. Food Drug Law J.57(3), 423–443.
5.
WoloshinS.SchwartzL. M.TremmelJ.WelchH. G. (2001). Direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription drugs: What are Americans being sold?Lancet358(9288). 1141–1146.
6.
AutonF. (2004). The advertising of pharmaceuticals direct-to-consumers: A critical review of the literature and debate. Int. J. Advertising23(1). 5–52.
7.
HuntM. (1998). Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drug — a background paper. National Health Forum, The George Washington University.
8.
It is important to note that these syndicated data on advertising spend are subject to error, For example, McLinden et al. (McLindenM.SandinoJ.WillardT. (2004). Fast relief: The prescription generic omeprazole DTC launch. DTC Perspectives. March, 44–47) report that the published data on Kremers' costs of their DTCA campaign for omeprazole were almost three times what they had actually spent.
9.
Med Ad News Staff (2005). The new face of consumer advertising. MedAdNews (June)1, 26–42.
10.
IMS Says DTC Ads Do Job (2004 November 22). Chain Drug Rev.26(20), 50.
11.
RosenthalM. B.BerndtE. R.DonohueJ. M.FrankR. G.EpsteinA. M. (2002). Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers. N. Engl. J. Med.346(7). 498–505.
Preferred brands are selected by managed care organisations and offered to patients at lower rates of co-payment, usually because these brands offer rebates or overall lower costs to the managed care organisation.
14.
The Pink Sheet Daily (2005). PhRMA board gives preliminary nod to voluntary DTC guidelines. The Pink Sheet Daily, July 21.
15.
VogtD. U. (2005). Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs. CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress.
16.
GoetzlI.TeinowitzD. (2002 May 6). Drug ad pressure: DTC ads dodge bullet; no thomas curbs; outlays may flatten. Advertising Age73, 59.
17.
TeinowitrzI. (2003 Oct 20). DTC ads become an issue in race for democratic nomination. Advertising Age74(42), 8.
18.
fdanews.com (2005). AMA to study pharmaceutical DTC Advertising, July 8.
19.
LipskyM. S.TaylorC. A. (1997). The opinions and experiences of family physicians regarding direct-to-consumer advertising. J. Fam. Pract.45(6). 495–499.
20.
AikinK. J.SwasyJ. L.BramanA. C. (2004). Patient and physician attitudes and behaviors associated with DTC promotion of prescription drugs — summary of FDA survey research results. November 19, US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluations and Research Final Report.
21.
IMS Says DTC Ads Do Job (2004 November 22). Chain Drug Rev.26(20), 50.
22.
WeissmannJ. S.BlumenthalD.SilkA. J. (2004). Physicians report on patient encounters involving direct-to-consumer advertising, Bethesda, MD, Health Affairs, (April 28) W4-219–W4-233 (Web Exclusive) Access http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.w4.219v1.
23.
MintzesB.BarerM. L.KravitzR. L.BassettK.LexchinJ.KazanjianA.EvanR. G.PanR.MarionS. A. (2003). How does direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) affect prescribing? A survey in primary care environments with and without DTCA. Canadian Med. Assoc. J.169(5). 405–412.
24.
DonohueJ.BerndtE. R. (2004). Effects of direct-to-consumer advertising on medication choice: The case of antidepressants. J. Public Policy Market. 23(2). 115–127.
25.
DuboisR. W. (2003). Pharmaceutical promotion: Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. February 26, Web Exclusive, http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w3.96v/DC1 and Presented at the US Food and Drug Administration Direct to Consumer Promotion Public Meeting September 22–23, 2003.
26.
DuboisR. W.AlaxanderC. M.WadeS.MossoA.MarksonL.LuJ. D.NagS.BergerM. L. (2002). Growth in use of lipid-lowering therapies: Are we targeting the right patients?Amer. J. Manage. Care8(10), 862–867.
KravitzR. L.EpsteinR. M.FeldmanM. D.FranzC. E.AzariR.WilkesM. S.HintonL.FranksP. (2005). Influence of patients requests for direct-to-consumer advertised antidepressants. JAMA293(16). 1995–2002.
29.
Dendrite US Distribution of Physicians 11/1/05.
30.
Family Practice/General Practice and Internal Medicine are generally regarded as the groups that are family doctors or primary care physicians.
31.
This concern is based on the premise that rapid adoption is not a good thing because drugs get into larger populations more quickly than would otherwise be the case, putting more of the population at risk than if the initial experience had been limited to a smaller population.
