Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising.
January 19, 2002
The National Health Council released a paper titled, “Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising: Overview & Recommendations,” concluding that its “benefits outweigh any negative impacts,” and that it is supported by “most consumers and many physicians, as well as the FDA.”
According to the Council, the major benefits of DTC advertising are:
* Helps patients to be more involved with their health care
* Raises consumer awareness about treatment options
* Alerts consumers to symptoms they should take seriously
* Increases compliance with drug regimens
* Consumers find it valuable and are motivated to act
In light of the existing data and evidence, the Council says, “recognizing that DTC prescription drug advertising provides benefits to consumers, efforts should be focused on how such advertising might be most informative.”
The Council calls for more publicly-funded research into how various types of DTC ads affect consumers differently, how they can be altered to improve doctor-patient communication, and their impact on health outcomes and health costs.
To view report CLICK below (Adobe Acrobat required):
http://www.nationalhealthcouncil.org/newsroom/DTC_paper.pdf
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