Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20181

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

Debating drug advertising
Massey University News 2003 Feb 22
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwpubafs/2003/masseynews/feb/feb24/drug_ads.html

Full text:

Two surveys from within the University indicate professional and public support for direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs.

The findings offset a recent survey and subsequent recommendation to the Government by the University of Otago’s School of Medicine to ban DTCA, legal in New Zealand since 1981.

Professor Philip Gendall and Associate Professor Janet Hoek from the Department of Marketing at the Palmerston North campus have conducted several studies into DTCA and question the validity of the Otago survey.

“In our opinion, the Otago survey of doctors was seriously biased by comments made in the cover letter that preceded the survey. This has many of the hall-marks of what is called ‘push-polling’; a practice designed to shape respondents’ answers by using information weighted in favour of a particular outcome.”

Professors Hoek and Gendall’s work suggests New Zealand consumers are opposed to bans on DTCA, discerning about the information presented in advertising, and find DTCA useful.

“We are currently undertaking a series of in depth interviews with GPs, and we believe the views of GPs are more complex than the Otago survey reveals. It is important to note that the Otago survey comprised only 13 attitude questions, none of which was explored or probed in any way. We believe this methodology is fundamentally unsuitable for the exploration of complex issues such as professionals’ views on DTCA.”

Professors Hoek and Gendall have also undertaken a major mail survey of the New Zealand public’s views on DTCA. A sample of over 600 respondents resulted in a 70 percent response opposing a ban on DTCA, while only 11 percent supported it.

“We believe asking the public if they would like advertising banned if information were available elsewhere, as the Otago consumer study did, overlooks two important issues.

“First, consumers will nearly always support a reduction in advertising since this interrupts their viewing. Second, consumers already can and do access prescription drug information from a variety of sources, of which advertising is only one. Our research into current TAPS system suggests it provides a rigorous review process that fosters a very high level of compliance with the self-regulatory system and the relevant legislation.”

In summary, the findings reveal that consumers find the information in prescription medicine advertisements helpful and informative. Respondents do not find DTCA advertisements difficult to understand or confusing. However, they would like more information about the risks of the medicines advertised.

Baseline results from the consumer survey can be found at http://masseynews.massey.ac.nz and a copy of the questionnaire is available from the researchers.

At the Albany campus, Dr Lynne Eagle from the Department of Marketing and Associate Professor Kerry Chamberlain recently conducted a study of health professionals’ attitudes to advertising of drugs such as Xenical, Celebrex and Viagra.

Their study found that, on the whole, media advertising of prescription drugs has benefits, according to a survey of doctors, pharmacists and practice nurses.

“One group of doctors is violently opposed philosophically to DTC advertising, another group is ambivalent and a third group think it is positive,” Dr Eagle says. “It is a myth that doctors feel pressured by patients armed with printouts from the Internet and demands for the latest drug shown on TV.”

Dr Eagle says doctors with positive attitudes to DTC advertising tended to be younger and female, which probably reflects a change in doctor-patient relationships.

About a quarter of all Internet traffic is to do with health care information, which has overtaken pornography as the most popular net sector. Dr Eagle says while there is clearly a difference between a consumer being exposed to advertising in mainstream media and seeking information on the Net, a ban on DTC advertising would be unworkable because it is almost impossible to ban access to information on the Internet.

For the Albany survey, doctors, practice nurses and pharmacists completed an extensive questionnaire on such topics as the number of patients requesting advertised medications, the degree of pressure to provide requested medication, and attitudes and responses to requests.

Doctors found advertised medications often stimulated patients to bring up a concern that might otherwise not be discussed, leading to the diagnosis of underlying factors.

“A patient asking about Viagra might give the GP a chance to discuss the causes of erectile dysfunction, which often has a medical basis, and detect previously undiagnosed problems,” Dr Eagle says.

“Patients also found the advertising was a prompt to take medication regularly and would go on the Internet after their condition had been diagnosed to become better informed.”

The Albany team will publish the results of a consumer survey on DTC advertising next month. Preliminary findings indicate similar ambivalence to that shown by medical professionals but overall, positive effects more than balance any negatives.

“There is no evidence from either study indicating DTC advertising should be curtailed,” Dr Eagle says.