Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18195

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: Journal Article

Studdert DM, Mello MM, Brennan TA
Survey Suggesting That Prescription Drug Ads Help Public Is Met With Skepticism
JAMA 2003 Feb 19; 289:(7):827
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/289/7/827

Abstract:

In the half-dozen years since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eased restrictions on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs, the practice has proliferated-and so has the controversy surrounding it. Proponents have claimed DTC advertising educates the public to make more informed medical choices, while critics charge that aggressive marketing campaigns encourage patients to demand newer, more expensive, and sometimes inappropriate medications.