Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2188

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

Sheddan A.
Big tick for tighter DTC advertising rules
New Zealand Doctor 2001 Aug 29

Full text:

GPs support the Government’s move to tighten direct-to-consumer advertising.

In the latest IMS HEALTH/New Zealand Doctor faxpoll 82 per cent of the 123 respondents say there is a need for stricter controls on DTC advertising, 14 per cent say there is no need.

Following a DTC advertising review health minister Annette King has decided to increase controls including only allowing advertisements in broadcast and print media and specifying the length of time for risk information in television advertising and font size.

The minister also aims to ban brand names of drugs on vehicles and ban sponsorship of events using a drug brand. The new controls include increased fines for non-compliance.

When asked if DTC advertising should stop altogether 40 per cent of GPs surveyed say yes, 29 per cent say it should decrease and only 17 per cent think things should stay the same.

This is a change from opinion two years ago, when in the March 1999 faxpoll only 23 per cent said DTC advertising should stop and 42 per cent said it should decrease.

The NZMA welcomes the announcement of tighter controls saying, while there are benefits to the public having information about treatments there is also potential for damage to the doctor/patient relationship. That view is shared by faxpoll respondents; 55 per cent say DTC advertising creates disharmony in the doctor/patient relationship, 40 per cent say it has no impact and only 3 per cent say it creates harmony.

Those thoughts have changed little since March 1999 when 49 per cent said it created disharmony, 39 per cent said it didn’t make an impact but 9 per cent thought it did create harmony.

The majority (89 per cent) of GPs have no problem saying no to patients requesting inappropriate drugs. Only 10 per cent saying they do not feel confident in this. Again, little has changed since 1999 when 91 per cent said they could say no.

Opinion among poll respondents was split on whether drug name sponsorship of public events should be banned with a small majority, 49 it should not be banned and 42 per cent saying it should.

Merck Sharp & Dohme is sponsoring this year’s Rally New Zealand with the drug brand Propecia. Company spokesperson Phil Johnstone says to date there have been no negative comments around the sponsorship and the company will be advocating that, rather than banning product sponsorship, good rules should be established.

The next step to implementing the changes to DTC advertising will involve discussions between Pharmac, the Ministry of Health and MedSafe on how the changes should be worked into legislation, either through an amendment to the existing Medicines Act 1981, or as part of the new Therapeutic Products Act.

The poll has a maximum margin of error of ± 8.7 per cent.