Advertising of prescription-only medicines to the public: does evidence of benefit counterbalance harm?
- PMID: 22429162
- DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031811-124540
Advertising of prescription-only medicines to the public: does evidence of benefit counterbalance harm?
Abstract
Since the global withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx) in 2004, concerns about public health effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) have grown. A systematic review of the research evidence on behavioral, health, and cost effects, published in 2005, found four studies meeting inclusion criteria, which showed that DTCA increases prescribing volume and patient demand, and shifts prescribing. From 2005 to 2010, nine studies met similar criteria. These largely confirm previous results. Additional effects include a shift to less appropriate prescribing, differential effects by patient price sensitivity and drug type, switches to less cost-effective treatment, and sustained sales despite a price increase. Claimed effects on adherence do not stand up to scrutiny and are based mainly on negative trials. There is no evidence of improved treatment quality or early provision of needed care. If policy is to be informed by evidence, the strength of research methods and ability to assess causality need to be considered.
Similar articles
-
Introduction of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs in Canada: an opinion survey on regulatory policy.Res Social Adm Pharm. 2005 Jun;1(2):310-30. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2005.03.007. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2005. PMID: 17138480
-
The cost-effectiveness of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs.Med Care Res Rev. 2009 Dec;66(6):639-57. doi: 10.1177/1077558709335362. Epub 2009 May 7. Med Care Res Rev. 2009. PMID: 19423875 Review.
-
A decade of controversy: balancing policy with evidence in the regulation of prescription drug advertising.Am J Public Health. 2010 Jan;100(1):24-32. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.153767. Am J Public Health. 2010. PMID: 19910354 Free PMC article.
-
Prescription drug coupons: evolution and need for regulation in direct-to-consumer advertising.Res Social Adm Pharm. 2014 May-Jun;10(3):588-94. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2013.08.002. Epub 2013 Oct 10. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2014. PMID: 24120330
-
Effects of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising on Patient Prescription Requests and Physician Prescribing: A Systematic Review of Psychiatry-Relevant Studies.J Clin Psychiatry. 2016 Oct;77(10):e1293-e1300. doi: 10.4088/JCP.15r10325. J Clin Psychiatry. 2016. PMID: 27631149 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by 27 articles
-
Attention to and Distraction from Risk Information in Prescription Drug Advertising: An Eye Tracking Study.J Public Policy Mark. 2017 Sep 1;36(2):236-245. doi: 10.1509/jppm.16.013. J Public Policy Mark. 2017. PMID: 33505105 Free PMC article.
-
Evaluation of Selective Outcome Reporting Bias in Efficacy Endpoints in Print and Television Advertisements for Oncology Drugs.J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Oct;35(10):2853-2857. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06028-1. Epub 2020 Jul 13. J Gen Intern Med. 2020. PMID: 32661931 Free PMC article.
-
Stakeholder perspectives on the challenges surrounding management and supply of essential medicines.Int J Clin Pharm. 2019 Oct;41(5):1210-1219. doi: 10.1007/s11096-019-00889-1. Epub 2019 Aug 23. Int J Clin Pharm. 2019. PMID: 31444686
-
Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications: what the Canadian medical trainee needs to know.Can Med Educ J. 2019 Jul 24;10(3):e113-e116. eCollection 2019 Jul. Can Med Educ J. 2019. PMID: 31388386 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs and the Patient-Prescriber Encounter: A Systematic Review.Health Commun. 2020 May;35(6):739-746. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1584781. Epub 2019 Apr 11. Health Commun. 2020. PMID: 30973021 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous