Direct Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising : Looking For The Future

There are proponents of DTC prescription drug ads. They argue that “the ads inform patients about diseases and possible treatments, encourage people to seek medical advice, help remove stigma associated with medical conditions, and provide needed sales revenue to fund costly research and development (R&D) of new drugs (Drug Ads ProCon.org).” On the flip side opponents argue “that DTC drug ads misinform patients, promote drugs before long-term safety-profiles can be known, medicalize and stigmatize normal conditions and bodily functions like wrinkles and low testosterone, waste valuable medical appointment time, and have led to our society’s overuse of prescription drugs (Drug Ads ProCon.org).”

Bill Maher once mocked the aggressive nature of the drug advertisements that direct you to tell your doctor that their drug is right for you. “Tell your doctor? Shouldn’t your doctor tell you what drugs you need. When you tell your doctor isn’t he just a dealer at that point,” said Bill Maher. The American public generally trusts their government to protect them from the hidden dangers prescription and over-the-counter drugs. However, that trust isn’t fully warranted as the FDA has been featured in the GAO report of “high risk” agencies which need drastic reforms. After all, the FDA is in charge of regulating the shameless drug advertisements that inundate the airwaves.

Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs has attracted several controversies, especially from people opposed to it. Some of the major arguments that have been raised include the possibility of the advertising to be a blatant manipulation of the public, the huge potential benefits to pharmaceutical companies and significant damages to the health care system. However, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescriptions drugs should be carried out properly because the advantages of this measure outweigh its disadvantages. One of the major reasons for the advertisement of

Her main focus was on the television (T.V.) advertising of medicine that is done in this country. She finds it highly unethical that pharmaceutical companies advertise drugs that are needed by patients. She further explained that it is also the way which marketing is conducted, “showing cheery people with fabulous hair on sunny days” (F. McClure, personal communication, October 14, 2013). The general public is naive to the possible side effects of these drugs and/or do not grasp the severity of many of them. Most people are looking at the pleasing visuals in these commercials, therefore they do not notice the side effects of the drugs, because the notices are in small print or run through so quickly they are incomprehensible. The viewers want what they see and ask their physicians for these drugs by name. In turn, doctors order the drugs; the companies grow bigger and market more drugs. It is a perpetual cycle, McClure expounds, and one that she and many of her cohorts wish would stop.

In regards to the price of prescription drugs, supporters note that the advertising promotes competition among the drug companies, thus driving the drug prices down. Assuming that this is true, which is disputable in itself, “some opponents also suggest that DTCPA increases health care costs because visits to the physician prompted by a drug ad can be a waste of time and money”.(nih.gov) So if the prices are driven down then that would be of benefit to some and if they are, in fact, increased that would be of impact to all consumers. This ethical analysis does not require an answer as to which point of view is true.

This paper is concern with legal and ethical issues in advertising, marketing, regulations and intellectual property of product safety with respect to PharmaCARE which is a pharmaceutical company. The paper includes the information regarding drug companies, Direct to Consumers (DTC) marketing. Next we will

     Is a patient at liberty to diagnose his or her own affliction? If so, are they also qualified enough to know the right medication and take into consideration the drugs adverse effects? With the recent onset of direct to consumer advertising for prescription drugs, this is becoming the case. In 1994, expenditures on direct to consumer advertisements were about twenty-five-million a year. By 1998 that figure changed to about 225 million (Sasich 2). Turn on the TV, there they are. Open your favorite magazine, there they are again. Listen to the radio, congratulations, you’ve found another ad for the latest prescription drug. Rush down to your local

This paper takes the stand that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of pharmaceutical drugs is unethical. This stand is based on the belief that many developed countries in the world have banned such kind of advertising because they believe that it is unethical. I believe that the advertising of pharmaceutical drugs is unethical because it gives consumers hope that a specific drug can cure their disease. However, this might not be the case as only a qualified medical practitioner can prescribe the right medication to treat a particular disease or condition. This is a major issue given that many consumers might prefer to be treated with an advertized pharmaceutical drug, yet it might not be the best drug for their specific ailment. It is believed

Advertisements are a vital part of any company’s marketing strategy, and are used to inform or persuade an audience about a certain product or service. In fact, North American companies are among the world’s highest advertisers (Boone et al., 2010, 502). Today, an average consumer is exposed to hundreds of advertisements every day. It is when these companies attempt to promote a dangerous product that restrictions must be, and have been put in place. For several years, Canada’s regulations on tobacco advertisements have become stricter, while

Advertisements have one primary purpose that is to persuade. Prescription medications Ads tell the consumers to get treatment and also imply that they have the need for it to solve their problems. Since prescription Ads have been introduced, the pharmaceutical

With the increased use of mass media advertisements to the consumer gained the attention of and criticisms of public health officials and physicians like the American Medical Association (AMA). Opponents of directly advertising to consumers argue that the advertisements mislead the consumer to either take prescription drugs that the consumer do not need or turn normal human physiological changes, like hair loss or decreased testosterone levels in aging men, as diseases. Further, opponents like the AMA argue that patients see the advertisements and insist that the doctor prescribe the medication, even though there are negative side effects of the prescription medicine. All the arguments set forth by the opponents of DTCA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a US government agency that regulate DTCA for the pharmaceutical industry is currently evaluating the policies that dictate direct advertisements to consumers. The American Medical Association is currently seeking a federal ban on direct to consumer advertising. Therefore companies that had an effective non-market strategy for the consumer rights movement may have found it insufficient to deal with the downstream issues that came with directly

Some people believe pharmacy should be allowed to advertise prescription medical, they think that it give consumers valuable information, others disagrees, and believe that pharmacy shouldn’t be allowed to advertise prescription medical on TV because it compromise kinds of carry giving to patients. The pharmacy companies should not be allowed advertise prescription drugs on TV because prescription drugs should only be allowed to doctors and physicians, it’s up to their doctors to decide if the patients will be benefit from the drugs without pressure form the patients, they know everything and particular drugs consumers need, while a person who learned about the

People are becoming more informed about products or services they use. DTC advertising assists in educating consumers about conditions and can empower them by providing information about treatment and drug options that are available; further, it can encourage people to get treatment for conditions they may have (Goyal, Bansal, farooq, Pottahil, & Bedi, 2015). DTC, also, can mislead patients by overstating the benefits and underestimate the risks and side effects of the drug (Goyal, Bansal, farooq, Pottahil, & Bedi, 2015). While it can have a positive effect on the relationship between the patient and the health care provider, tension can occur between them when there is a disagreement with the

The author of the article “Consumer Drug Advertising Should be Banned”, Kurt C. Stange, show his Ethos, he is a professor of culture and family medicine at Case Western Reserve University, making a good credibility for the reader, it gives a sense of trustworthiness by he been a professional in the field of culture health. His Logos are that now this days, culture is having a drastic shift by seeking pills for everything, for every symptom. Can be assume that he is referring of drug addiction, by depending on pills on daily basis. For Stange’s Pathos, he uses the example of Rosy’s advertisements in the quote “medication should be motivated by observations of patients and physicians, not stimulated

Since 1993, spending on advertising has in spending shows how important advertising has become to the pharmaceutical industry. While these advertisements may benefit the companies, they are not necessarily helpful for the consumers. The fact that these advertisements are