Pros And Cons Of Dtc Marketing

III. In-Depth Presentation of Side A

A. Stakeholders and Values

Proponents for DTC marketing argue that the ads are a reliable source of information, education and encourages patients to start a dialogue with their physicians. Studies and surveys have also shown that the DTC approach has reduced the under- diagnoses/ under- treatment of some conditions, and removed the stigma that comes along with certain diseases.

B. Side A Issues:

There are four main issues proponents of DTC ads strive to address. One issue is lack of consumer education. Pharmaceutical companies feel it is only fair that the general public know what the physician knows, specifically regarding what medications are out there and their variety of uses. The second issue proponents

Research conducted by Findlay (2001) concluded that the ultimate goal of DTC advertisements is to increase profits. This was identified as problematic because profit was more of a goal than fulfilling the actual potential of medication which is treatment. Wolfe (2002) found that many physicians agree with Findlay’s findings. Some physicians also feel that DTC advertisements confuse patients and interfere with the physician/patient relationship. For example, physicians criticized DTC advertisements because they believe these advertisements often present promotional information as educational material (Wolfe 2002). Research has also found that many consumers are confused by DTC advertisements. In a survey of 300 randomly selected adults, 50% thought that all DTC advertisements required prior government approval, 43% believed that only “completely safe” medications could be advertised, and 21% thought that DTC advertisements only featured prescription drugs that were extremely effective (Bell et al. 2000). Furthermore, research has found that DTC advertisements provide an inadequate provision of information to consumers (Roth 1996; Bell et al. 2000). Bell et al. (2000) stated that the problem with DTC advertisements is that they provide brand name information for medications without discussing the symptoms of the

The House Bill known as Families for ED Advertising Decency Act, sponsored by Representative James P. Moran, (D-VA), was previously proposed, hoping to give the FCC power to ban ads for prescription sexual aids, such as Viagra, from prime-time television, on decency grounds (Ventola 2011). Henry Waxman (D-CA) is an advocate for the requirement that a moratorium on DTCPA for two or three years after a new drug is introduced. This bill has been proposed with the hopes of reducing risks associated with the use of new drugs with unknown long- term side effects. Research has shown that three years is enough time to realize if the medication results in risky long- term side effects, subsequently being pulled off the market. In hopes of reducing the billions of dollars the pharmaceutical companies spend on ads, the bill Say No to Drug Ads, backed by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), has been proposed. This legislation would amend the tax code so that drug companies could no longer deduct DTCPA spending as a business expense (Ventola