Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20112

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: Magazine

St John P
GPs hail TV ads review
Australian Doctor 2000 Nov 335

Full text:

New Zealand GPs have welcomed the announcement of a government review of direct-to-consumer advertising.

New Zealand is one of the few countries that allow direct-to-consumer advertising, and doctor groups have complained they are pressured by patients who have seen products advertised on television.

In addition, New Zealand’s pharmaceutical purchasing agency Pharmac said it was worried direct-to-consumer advertising put pressure on the country’s pharmaceutical budget.

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ deputy chair, Dr Helen Rodenburg, said it could be argued advertising empowered and informed patients.

However, problems arose when advertising encouraged patients to seek medications they did not need.

Furthermore, patients sometimes requested medicines that were unsuitable or might cause adverse reactions, Dr Rodenburg said.

“While GPs aren’t being pressured into prescribing inappropriately because of DTC [direct-to-consumer] advertising, demands from a patient for drugs which are unsuitable can not only damage the doctor-patient relationship but also detract from the care a GP is able to give”.

If half the consultation was spent discussing why the latest product as seen on TV was not suitable, this left less time to discuss appropriate strategies and medications, Dr Rodenburg said.

However, the Researched Medicines Industry, a body representing the interests of most New Zealand pharmaceutical companies, argued direct-to-consumer prescription advertising had health benefits ranging from improving patient compliance through to delivering health education to low socio-economic groups.

Earlier this year the industry group released a document putting forward a wide range of arguments in favour of direct-to-consumer advertising.

It said direct-to-consumer advertising of Viagra and Xenical had helped destigmatise obesity and erectile dysfunction.

Both patients and doctors had traditionally found it hard to discuss these particular problems and the advertising had created a more open environment.

Consultations for erectile dysfunction gave GPs the chance to pick up serious underlying conditions, the Researched Medicines Industry said.