The Use Of Prescription Drugs In Advertising

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).”

New Zealand is the only other developed nation in the world where prescription drugs are advertised directly to consumers. The American pharmaceutical industry used to abide by a term “ethical marketing,” meaning that drug companies could only market to physicians. On the other hand, there is a valid argument for allowing direct-to-consumer drug advertisements as the flow of information and transparency are beneficial. However, there obviously needs to be some checks and balances. This experiment began with a print advertisement in 1981 in Reader’s Digest and the first TV ad took place in 1983. At that time, the FDA had several rules in place requiring companies to offer a fair and balanced presentation. In sum, this was a responsible era of advertising.

So to conclude, although both positives and negatives are associated with DTC prescription drug ads, the negatives outweigh the positives because of the detrimental effects they can have on the consumer. The ads misinform patients, stigmatize normal conditions, have led to the overuse of prescription drugs, and promote drugs before long-term safety information can be known. DTC prescription drug ads are endangering the viewers in our society. In the long run, banning DTC prescription drug ads, or at the very least increasing regulation, would be best for the

In the January 18th 2016 issue of People Magazine, AstraZeneca ran an advertisement for Seroquel XR, an atypical antipsychotic. This advertisement was just one of seven prescription drug advertisements in the 94 page magazine, all urging readers to ask their doctors about a medication. These seven advertisements are a small sample of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisement that flood television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and websites in the United States. The debate about whether DTC advertisement for psychotropic medication provides the consumer with more information and power over their medical care and reduces stigma or whether it leads to physicians to prescribing medications before assessing other treatment options and adds to the

Do you feel guilty? Have a recent loss of interest in things you normally enjoy? Unexplained weight gain or weight loss? Trouble getting up in the morning? Do you notice that for no reason you start crying? Slowness in activity or thought? If so, you may be suffering from depression. Sound familiar? It’s just missing one thing, the name of the drug that’s going to alleviate depression signs and symptoms, and a long list of adverse reactions. This kind of marketing is known as Direct-To-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Every day the public is exposed to constant advertisements promising that this drug is the answer to their ills and ailments; all they need to do is ask their doctor if this drug is right for them. Consumers

Ever since the legalization of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising in 1985, drug companies have grown and greatly increased their spending, making this the most popular type of health communication to the general public. From 1996 to 2005, the total amount of spending on pharmaceutical advertisements increased by 3252 million dollars and the percentage of drug sales increased by 1.4 percent (New England Journal of Medicine). This positive increase in sales is why the United States allows for these advertisements to be aired, they bring in revenue and as people become more sick, they will continue to buy more drugs and increase the revenue. However, even with all this spending, after observing hours of television on three different channels, I found it surprising on the limited amounts of pharmaceutical advertisements that were presented. For the network CBS, there were three drug advertisements, for CNN there were four and for the network AMC, there were only two of the same commercial. This trend shows how different airing times affect different populations of people. I watched CNN at 11:30 in the morning, a more common

Using this Deontological approach we will look at the pharmaceutical advertising. As a free nation, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, there is a moral obligation for us to do what is right. From the corporate perspective, nearly all other businesses are allowed to advertise. The purpose of advertising from a corporate perspective is to teach individuals what their products offer the public so they can increase profit for the company. There are rules that they have to follow to ensure the information is accurate. There is nobody forcing a purchase of the drugs, it is mere information that is available to all public for their benefit. There is a choice that is made by the public. They will either choose to purchase the drugs that will help them, or will not. From the public perspective, they want to have access to the information that will help them lead a better life regardless of who they are. Under the veil of ignorance, we should all be able to know and understand every option that is available to us so that we can live happier and healthy lives. Pharmaceutical products offer people a better way to live their lives no matter who you are. There are drugs for arthritis that help people live better by reducing pain and increasing mobility; drugs for helping people get a better night of sleep; drugs for

Advertising companies have capitalized on people’s desire for expedient and effective results by changing their sales strategies in order to increase profit. Consumers and physicians are specifically targeted in direct-to-consumer advertising strategies, such as ads on television, magazines, and other physician-focused promotions. Studies that assess the effect of advertising show an increase in prescribing practices as well as an increase on the demand for prescription medication. Because prescription medications are perceived as valuable for health maintenance, economic theorists predict changes in marketing costs are not likely to impact pharmaceutical sales further demonstrating the strong relationship between physicians’ willingness to prescribe and patients’ need to consume medications. The cyclical relationship of advertising companies, to physicians, and to consumers reveals the significant influence money can have on prescribing practices, which may have strong implications for overprescribing

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

I remember this commercial back in the 90's of "Your Brain on Drugs". I remember being in elementary and classmates talking about it on how your brain looks when you do drugs. I think this advertising campaign was effective because people were aware of what the illicit drug does to your brain while being on the substance use. It was also effective because I remember being part of the D.A.R.E program and they will tell us to look at the advertising about what does the brain look when you use drugs. While attending elementary many of the students were scared to consume drugs because of the advertising, so the campaign might have been a success in those days.

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

Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCPA), defined as “an effort (usually via popular media) made by a pharmaceutical company to promote ... prescription products directly to patients,” is a common practice and an important issue that impacts the health of U.S. citizens, the prices of prescription drugs and health care, and doctor-patient relationships (Ventola). This paper will discuss the historical and political lens of DTCPA: how and why changes to DTCPA were made in the past, how current politics suggests a possible change to decrease or limit future DTCPA could be accomplished, and specific regulatory aspects that require more attention. This is important because in order to propose reasonable changes, we need to understand which would likely succeed in the near future and which are most needed.

If you consume almost any form of media you will notice many different advertisements that inform you to ask your doctor if a certain pharmaceutical is right for you. You are inundated with advertisements for sleep aids, sexual disfunction drugs, drugs to treat depression, and weight loss pharmaceuticals. Even if you don’t watch TV, or read magazines, or even spend time online, billboards appear frequently in large cities and along the freeways that claim to want to make you a better you. The truth is pharmaceutical advertisements are everywhere. Well, that's not entirely true. Direct to consumer pharmaceutical advertisements (DTCPA) are only allowed in two developed countries; The United States and New Zealand. Why is that?

Think about how often you are watching your favorite show on television and all of a sudden you are interrupted by a commercial. The commercial begins with the following words, “Do you suffer with …” and this question follows with the following sentence, “if so, then talk to your doctor about … (the name of the medication that is being advertised)”. These prescription drug advertisements are being shown all over the United States multiple times a day. It is these advertisements that are used for publicity and marketing that are affecting Americans. The majority of Americans engage in watching television. The prescription drug advertisements do have a positive impact on Americans but, these advertisements do more harm than good.

DiBartolo’s lawsuit against Abbott demonstrates the larger ethical issue of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Should pharmaceutical companies directly advertise to patients? Can patients engage physicians in knowledgeable discussions? Do advertisements adequately describe drug risks and benefits? These issues are debated by physicians, patients, drug manufacturers, and the USFDA. To determine ethicality, DTCA requires evaluation of practicality, social implications, and the methods by which health information is disseminated.