Many health policy experts believe that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by pharmaceutical companies is contributing to the high cost of many prescription drugs.
Critics contend that DTC advertising, by encouraging over-consumption by gullible consumers, undermines the doctor-patient relationship and, possibly, adversely affects the quality of patient care while increasing unnecessary medical spending. Although DTC advertising has increased in recent years, it is a small portion of drug company marketing.
But a study by the Institute for Policy Innovation says putting information in the hands of consumers is a revolutionary idea. The increased availability of health care information, such as the Internet, is shifting the health care system away from physician-directed towards a patient-directed system. DTC advertising by drug companies is a response to this trend rather than a driving force. Furthermore, patients discussing drug therapies with their physician enhances physician-patient relations.
Other benefits of advertising include:
As long as patients are insulated from the cost of medical care and doctors stand between patients and their prescriptions, the health care marketplace cannot work like a normal market. DTC advertising can stimulate competition by providing the latest and most accurate information about product quality and prices.
Source: Merrill Matthews, Who’s Afraid of Pharmaceutical Advertising?, Institute for Policy Innovation, May 17, 2001
For text http://www.ipi.org/ipi\IPIPublications.nsf/PublicationLookupFullText/F4F61FB 6BB576D4086256A4F00229C21
For more on Drug Price Issues http://www.ncpa.org/pi/health/hedex7l.html
