Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1976

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

Neumann PJ, Zivin Bambauer K, Ramakrishnan V, Stewart KA, Bell CM.
Economic messages in prescription drug advertisements in medical journals.
Med Care 2002 Sep; 40:(9):840-5
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12218774

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The extent to which pharmaceutical companies promote the economic advantages of their products in advertisements in medical journals, and whether such claims are supported by evidence, has not been quantified. Our objectives were to examine how often prescription drug advertisements in leading medical journals contain economic messages, and to determine the types of promotional claims made and whether supporting evidence is provided. METHODS: All prescription drug advertisements appearing in six leading general medical and specialty journals in 3 selected months annually from 1990 to 1999 were reviewed. Using a standard data collection form, two reviewers examined each ad for economic content-including mention of the drug’s price, value, cost saving, or cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: Economic messages appeared in 237 (11.1%) of the 2144 advertisements examined. Proportion of ads with economic content has increased over time (P = 0.003). Most frequently, economic ads contained statements that drugs were “less expensive” or “cost less” than alternative treatments (50.6% of economic ads). Supporting evidence for economic claims was clearly reported in 63.7% of cases, and typically referred to published drug prices rather than more detailed economic analysis. Ads for calcium channel blocking agents and ACE inhibitors frequently contained economic messages. CONCLUSIONS: Economic messages about prescription drugs are used in advertisements in leading medical journals and their frequency may be rising. Physicians should be aware of this phenomenon, and its potential impact on their prescribing decisions. More scrutiny of the supporting evidence underlying economic claims by the medical community and regulators may be needed.

Keywords:
Advertising* Cost Savings Cost-Benefit Analysis Drug Industry Humans Periodicals* Pharmaceutical Preparations/economics* Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't content analysis United States journal advertisements pharmacoeconomic analysis drug prices calcium channel blockers ACE inhibitor EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY: PHARMACOECONOMIC ANALYSIS PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: PHARMACOECONOMIC DATA