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What Are the Public Health Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising?

Author

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  • Elizabeth A Almasi
  • Randall S Stafford
  • Richard L Kravitz
  • Peter R Mansfield

Abstract

: Only two industrialized countries, the United States and New Zealand, allow direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines, although New Zealand is planning a ban [1]. The challenge for these governments is ensuring that DTCA is more beneficial than harmful. Proponents of DTCA argue that it helps to inform the public about available treatments and stimulates appropriate use of drugs for high-priority illnesses (such as statin use in people with ischemic heart disease). Critics argue that the information in the adverts is often biased and misleading, and that DTCA raises prescribing costs without net evidence of health benefits. Proponents of such advertising say that it informs the public and stimulates appropriate use of drugs, but critics argue that the adverts are misleading and raise prescribing costs without net evidence of health benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth A Almasi & Randall S Stafford & Richard L Kravitz & Peter R Mansfield, 2006. "What Are the Public Health Effects of Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising?," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(3), pages 1-1, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pmed00:0030145
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030145
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Pepijn Pol & Frank Bakker, 2010. "Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Pharmaceuticals as a Matter of Corporate Social Responsibility?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 211-224, June.
    2. Levaggi, Rosella & Orizio, Grazia & Domenighini, Serena & Bressanelli, Maura & Schulz, Peter J. & Zani, Claudia & Caimi, Luigi & Gelatti, Umberto, 2009. "Marketing and pricing strategies of online pharmacies," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(2-3), pages 187-196, October.
    3. Keith J. Zullig & Amanda L. Divin, 2022. "Quantifying Healthy Days Lost to the Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs (NMUPD) among a Sample of College Students," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(2), pages 655-669, April.
    4. Guy David & Sara Markowitz & Seth Richards-Shubik, 2010. "The Effects of Pharmaceutical Marketing and Promotion on Adverse Drug Events and Regulation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 1-25, November.
    5. Paul Biegler, 2014. "Placebogenic Potential is no Reason to Favour Pharmaceutical Advertising," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 145-155, August.
    6. Ram Bala & Pradeep Bhardwaj, 2010. "Detailing vs. Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in the Prescription Pharmaceutical Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 148-160, January.
    7. Frosch, Dominick L. & May, Suepattra G. & Tietbohl, Caroline & Pagán, José A., 2011. "Living in the “land of no”? Consumer perceptions of healthy lifestyle portrayals in direct-to-consumer advertisements of prescription drugs," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(7), pages 995-1002.

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