Direct-To-Consumer Advertising

BACKGROUND
There are only two countries in the world that can advertise prescription drugs; New Zealand and United States. In United States, according to “What you should know about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs,” the FDA first proposed the regulation of drug advertising in 1963. Moreover, in the 1970s, the Supreme Court recognized that the first amendment, freedom of speech, supports this idea. However, in 1983, the FDA requested an intentional suspension on DTC advertising due to not having enough policy regarding advertisements, but in 1985, the ban got lifted. Nonetheless, based upon advertisement by pharmaceutical companies, regulations were established to require pharmaceutical companies to advise their consumers
However, this is not always true because some of them may have health problems they are not aware of and ads may influence and let them be alerted about it. Harker and Harker further confirmed through their research that television is a typical medium in direct to consumer advertisings with problem-solution and emotional appeals being used the most. In addition, since many female consumers read magazines, this is also a good medium to use direct to consumer advertising however; it is not effective as television since many people do not read all the information and brief summaries of the products. Moreover, internet is also an important source and the combined approach of TV and Internet such as Youtube, HuluPlus, etc. has high attention and credibility. Harker and Harker also confirmed that doctors are highly credible source of information.

According to “Drawing the line on drug marketing: the pharmaceutical and medical communities are split over allowing direct-to-consumer ads” It is important to know that Direct-to-consumer advertising "is used to gain market share for new drugs and to increase utilization, (which are) two main drivers of drug-cost increases," Green Shield says in its statement. "We are opposed to DTCA. We are however, very much in favor of the trend for consumers/patients to receive quality drug information, both in advance of and at the time of the
Epstein), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (E.R. Berndt), and Harvard Medical
School (J.M. Donohue and R.G. Frank) finds that DTC advertising has a significant effect on prescription drug spending. The complete report of their study, Demand Effects of Recent Changes in Prescription Drug Promotion, May 29, 2003, can be found at www.kff.org. According to “All of this may not be too comforting to patients who regard their doctors as omniscient and impervious to influences beyond hard science. But "thinking that doctors are some kind of last line of defense, a sort of medical Maginot Line, is fantasy," Kravitz said.
Doctors often read social cues and take educated guesses about treatments. Sometimes medicine is a process of elimination. Doctors may be willing to try a patient on a medication, particularly if they're unsure of a diagnosis, as long as the potential side- effects of the medication are not serious.
Doctors are susceptible to persuasion and influence. Advertising and marketing can help doctors--and patients--better understand medications and what they can do. But it may also lead to needless prescribing of pills.
What's really important here is Americans' confidence in their doctors'