Drug advertising doesn't work, study finds

We've all seen them -- those ubiquitous ads for medications to help us with everything from erectile dysfunction to arthritis to cancer.

Well, if they've never motivated you to go out and get a new prescription, you're far from alone.

According to a study in the Annals of Family Medicine, the ads simply don't work.

In turns out, only 2.6 per cent of patients ever ask their doctors about medications they have seen advertised on television or in print. This despite seeing 100 minutes of drug advertising on TV for every minute they see with a doctor, according to the study.

Canadian exposure to the ads may be lower, since they are more restricted here. But we do watch a lot of American TV, and a Canadian Medical Association Journal article in 2003 documented how ads are getting around the law in this country.

"The advertising of prescription drugs aimed directly at the public is prohibited in most countries, including Canada. However, a shift in interpretation of the policy governing this marketing strategy, known as direct-to-consumer advertising, has occurred in Canada, resulting in its partial introduction without public and parliamentary debate."

Commenting on the MSNBC web site, columnist Brian Alexander outlines the longstanding controversy around the ads.

"Drug companies argue that advertising medications provides an important public health service by alerting consumers to potentially undiagnosed, or under treated, disorders. Some doctors and health advocates, on the other hand, argue that ads entice patients to insist on unnecessary or ineffective drugs and to forgo healthy lifestyle changes that might obviate the need for drugs in the first place."

According to the Family Medicine study, based on surveys filed out by family doctors, only 58 of 1,647 patients seen by the doctors asked for a prescription to a specific drug. When the drugs asked for were checked to see if they had been advertised in recent years, the number fell to 43, or 2.6 per cent. Once asked, however, doctors handed out the prescription about half the time, according to the study.

"Although clinicians reported that in most cases of medication inquiry, the medication would not have been their first choice for treating the patient’s condition and that they felt no pressure to prescribe, the medication was nevertheless prescribed more than one-half the time."

Drug companies in the US spend about $500 million a year on advertising -- which critics have blamed in part for the high cost of medications. In these tough times, however, the companies could end up being asked if the ads are worth the cost.

Comments

[Michael McBane]

Interesting study. Something does not seem to add up here. If every dollar spent on DTCA increases sales of the advertised drug by an estimated $2.20 to $4.20 (as stated in this study), then DTCA mustlead a significant number of patients to ask their doctor for the drug seen in an ad. Previous studies on DTCA showed this to be the case. The method used in this latest study in the Annals of Family Medicine may expain this surprising result. This study may be showing that drug advertising has less of an impact on low income populations whose mother tongue is not English. It does confirm, however, a well known negative impact of DTCA, namely the doctors did prescribe drugs requested by patients often when they did not judge it to be a first choice drug. This is very problematic outcome of DTCA.

[Licensed practical nurse]

Great post indeed Mr. Laidlaw, but I think in extreme cases people would actually go ahead and try everything & anything promoted or advertised in right (proper) manner.

I also see the drugs prescribed by professional medical practitioner fairing well in the market rather then those of advertised.

Woah! USD 500 mil worth ads are definitely not worth it and can actually be spent on more noble causes or studies.

Keep up the good work.
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Jay
AboutLPN.com

[deana]

Very, very few patients are going to suggest drugs to their doctors which they, the patients, think they need.

Doctors are very touchy about lay suggestions. Try quoting something from the internet next time you go see Doc "I-spent-my-best-years-in-medschool."

I always thought advertizements were for the doctors themselves. I will never believe that doctors know everything about every chemical reaction such that they aren't affected by photos of frowning but beautiful models posing as women with cramps.

Don't tell me this is yet another reverse message thing i.e. patients yield to drug ads so therefore doctors don't? Ah, man, this is everywhere.