Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2549

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

Mintzes B, Kazanjian , Bassett K, Lexchin J.
Untitled
2001 Jun;
www.chspr.ubc.ca//hpru/pdf/dtca-v4-expertsurvey.pdf

Abstract:

This survey indicates that many policy experts from Canada, the US and New Zealand believe that the quality of information in DTCA is poor, the effects on appropriateness of care will be negative, and health care costs will increase. The one exception to this finding is doctor/patient
communication, for which opinions were nearly evenly divided. No attempt was made to solicit opinions on indirect effects such as hospitalization rates, morbidity and mortality, as there is no research evidence linking DTCA to longer-term impacts. However, short-term harm is unlikely to lead to long-term benefit. The results were highly polarized, with the exception of beliefs about effects on costs of
pharmaceuticals and physician services, which almost all respondents believed would increase. There was a great deal of support for the introduction of DTCA in Canada among experts from the advertising and pharmaceutical industries in Canada, the United States and New Zealand and to a lesser extent among representatives of patient groups, but very little support among experts from the health professions, governments, private payers and consumer/ non-profit groups. This is an opinion survey, not a direct assessment of the empirical literature on outcomes of DTCA, and the conclusions should be taken as a reflection of expert opinion only. However, the survey raises serious concerns about the current proposed direction of policy change in Canada, particularly given the opinions expressed by policy experts in key positions in provincial and federal governments, including drug plan managers, advertising regulators and pharmaceutical policy advisors. From a public policy perspective, a shift leading to increased drug and physician costs might be considered if health care quality was expected to improve. If quality is largely expected to deteriorate, it seems hard to reconcile such a shift.

Keywords:
*analytic survey Canada New Zealand United States DTCA direct-to-consumer advertising regulation of promotion attitude toward promotion ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: CONSUMERS PATIENTS ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: INDUSTRY ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: REGULATORS AND GOVERNMENT EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMER DRUG COSTS INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS