Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1748

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

Winslow R.
Black Doctors See Drug Ads As Beneficial for Minorities
The Wall Street Journal 2002 Apr 11

Full text:

A group representing 25,000 African-American physicians said on Wednesday that drug advertising has a generally positive impact on minority consumers and could be a valuable tool in the effort to reduce racial disparities in America’s health-care system.

But in its report, the National Medical Association also notes that drug makers could improve their portrayal of African Americans in their ads as well as the way they explain a disease and its side effects.

More than half of the 900 doctors surveyed said consumer advertising has some “negative effect” on patients. But 90% of the respondents said patients have asked them about a medication as a result of an advertisement, and half of the doctors believe the ads help educate their patients and promote doctor-patient communication.

“The African-American community has a huge health disparities gap, and anything that will increase our patients’ getting to the door of the doctor is a benefit,” says Sharon Allison-Ottey, who practices internal and geriatric medicine in Lanham, Md., and is the author of a report on the survey.

The survey was paid for with a grant from Pfizer. Dr. Allison-Ottey says the New York-based pharmaceuticals company played no role in the design of the study or in interpreting its findings. Pfizer wouldn’t say how much money it provided the NMA for its survey. Pfizer says 4% of its overall ad budget is spent in minority media outlets but won’t say what the overall budget is.

The NMA’s stance offers a provocative perspective on today’s proliferating consumer-drug ads. The public health benefits are a subject of intense debate among physicians, policy makers and the pharmaceuticals industry. Proponents say the commercials prompt patients to see the doctor about important medical symptoms they might otherwise ignore. Critics maintain the ads pressure doctors to overprescribe medicines. These critics also say the ads typically promote only the newest, most expensive drugs, overshadowing generic medicines that would be more affordable to all patients.

The NMA survey comes on the heels of two recent reports documenting inequities among African Americans and other U.S. minorities when it comes to prevalence of disease, quality of treatment and access to affordable health care.

“Doctors are finding that these ads are helping our patients talk to us about medical conditions they’re at risk for,” says Lucille Perez, president of the NMA. “When you consider that the majority of drugs advertised can treat the diseases that disproportionately affect the African-American community, there is incredible potential.”

Still, the survey also found plenty of skepticism among African-American doctors over the value of the advertising. About 38% said the ads put additional pressure on them to justify their prescription decisions, though only 9% acknowledged changing their prescribing habits as a result.

More than half doubted that patients viewing the ads were more likely to take their medicines as prescribed. At least one doctor said patients stopped taking a medication after learning on television of its side effects. In its report, the NMA suggests the pharmaceuticals industry needs to do a better job focusing on diseases’ symptoms and risks, rather than just specific products. One widely leveled criticism of drug ads is that some promote flashy images and drug names without providing information about the underlying disease, which patients may not even be aware they have.

Dr. Allison-Ottey says ads also need to be more culturally relevant to minority patients. “This is not rah-rah, [direct-to-consumer] at all,” she says. “This is a tool. We’re calling for balance.” She says the organization expects to provide expertise and advice to the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the use of direct-to-consumer ads.