Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17421

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Patients Trust Doctors' Judgment Despite Pushy Drug Marketing
The Wall Street Journal 2003 Jan 9

Full text:

The latest WSJ Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll, conducted this month, sampled the public’s views about drug-firm marketing to doctors and whether the marketing unduly affects doctors’ prescribing decisions.

[1] “In general, do you think that the marketing of drugs by the pharmaceutical industry to doctors is… ?”

Acceptable and reasonable 26%

A little too aggressive 30%

Much too aggressive 25%

Not sure 19%

[2] “When a doctor writes a prescription for you, do you… ?”

Trust him/her to choose the drug that is best for you 67%

Feel that he/she may be influenced too much by the marketing efforts of the

pharmaceutical companies to sell more of their drugs 23%

Have never had a doctor prescribe drugs for me or my family 1%

Not sure 10%

[3] “Sales people from the pharmaceutical companies meet with many doctors to describe the benefits of their drugs. Would you prefer your doctor to… ?”

Meet with these sales people 21%

Not meet with these sales people 8%

Decide for himself/herself whether or not to meet with these sales people 64%

Not sure 7%

[4] “Pharmaceutical companies sponsor continuing medical education programs for doctors which include information about the benefits of their drugs. Do you think this… ?”

Should be allowed 72%

Should not be allowed 11%

Not sure 18%

Note: Tables do not always add to 100% because of rounding to nearest whole number.

Commentary: Despite some concerns that pharmaceutical-company marketing to doctors is too aggressive, people trust their doctors to do what’s best for them, according to the latest WSJ Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll. Patients think doctors “make good judgments about when to believe and when not to believe the drug companies,” says Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, Harris Interactive. “The public accepts the concept of the doctor as the knowledgeable intermediary. It’s an acceptance of both the expertise or judgment of the doctors and their loyalties” to the patient.

Methodology: This poll was conducted online between Jan. 1-6, 2003 among a nationwide cross section of 4,173 adults (18+). Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. “Propensity score” weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Harris Interactive estimates the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.