Patterns of Prescription Drug Use: The Role of Promotion

Abstract

Promotional efforts directed to the health professions by pharmaceutical manufacturers, and their alleged association with excessive prescribing and drug abuse are the subject of this paper. The paper contends that claims to the effect that legitimate drug prescribing patterns and promotional efforts merely mirror—or even may cause—drug abuse are not factually supported.

Assertions to the effect that physicians rely primarily on advertising in making prescribing decisions are not borne out by studies of the various factors which bear upon those decisions, the paper points out. It describes the extent of prescription drug promotion, and utilization and notes that physician prescribing of psychoactive drugs has lagged behind overall prescription growth trends, in contrast to the accelerating misuse and abuse of this class of medications in the community at large.