Consumers Taking Control With DTC Rx Ads.

Prescription drug advertisements often trigger consumers to seek more information, says the National Consumers League (NCL), releasing data from a national survey commissioned to investigate American consumers’ opinions about the ads. This type of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising reaches a vast majority of American adults, piques interest in the medical condition or treatments or both, and often motivates them to visit their doctors to talk about diseases that might otherwise go undiscussed.

The NCL survey shows that consumers question the pharmaceutical industry’s motives for prescription drug advertising, with 42 percent agreeing that the ads help pharmaceutical companies sell their drugs. However, survey respondents still consider the ads useful and believe their access should not be limited.

“With DTC ads, large numbers of consumers are made aware of medical conditions and treatments that they may otherwise not know exist,” said Linda Golodner, NCL president. “But they’re smart; most recognize that the ads are tools for selling products and evaluate them accordingly.”

According to the survey, conducted in October, more than three-quarters of American adults (77 percent) said they had seen or heard advertising for prescription medications in the past 12 months. Of this population, more than half were motivated by the ads to take action (57 percent). Most respondents were moved to talk with their doctors about the medication-either immediately (16 percent) or at their next appointment (31 percent). About one in four (26 percent) sought more information on their own.

DTC advertising is a subject of much debate, both among the consumers and the media. The controversy surrounding the DTC debate is reflected in the NCL study. Consumers believe prescription drug ads may encourage people to request medication they don’t necessarily need but agree that they should have access to the information that the ads provide. An October 2002 report by the General Accounting Office says that each year, over 8 million Americans ask for — and receive from their doctors — medications they’ve seen advertised on television or in print.

“Critics attack such ads for provoking patients to ask their doctors for expensive drugs for which they may not have a medical need,” Golodner said. “But if these ads are encouraging dialogue of any nature between doctors and their patients, this can hardly be a bad thing. Often ads help destigmatize conditions that may have otherwise gone untreated due to patient embarrassment and limited medical knowledge.”

Golodner said consumers are wise to take DTC ads for prescription drugs as what they are: commercial advertisements that need to be evaluated with a skeptical eye. NCL’s survey found that, while consumers may be cynical about the intentions of the companies funding prescription drug ads, few want them taken off the air or out of print altogether. In fact, only one in four Americans thinks such ads should be limited to medical magazines for doctors. This indicates that consumers recognize the ads have a place in motivating patients to take a larger role in their own treatment.

The survey also found:

— Of adults who talked to or visited their doctor, few (9 percent) had already decided they wanted the medication, although 51 percent wanted to find out if it was right for them. Most of the remaining wanted to find out the best way to treat their condition.

— Doctors who were asked about the advertising didn’t react poorly, according to the patients surveyed. Overall, those respondents who spoke with their doctor about the advertised medication were very positive about the discussion. Only 2 percent say their doctor was upset at the mention of the medication they saw advertised.

For complete survey results, please visit http://www.nclnet.org .

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