Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6827

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: report

Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
Comments on: Food and Drug Administration: attitudinal and behavioral effects of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs
: Public Citizen’s Health Research Group 1998 Sep 28
www.citizen.org

Abstract:

The Food and Drug Administration is planning a survey to examine consumers’ reactions and behaviours that stem from direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. Public Citizen supports a strong research role for the FDA. Public Citizen has two observations that are pertinent to the proposed survey: 1) the public is not protected from deceptive DTCA by physician gatekeepers; 2) drug company censorship has prevent public access to objective prescription drug information for 19 years. Public Citizen believes that the FDA survey should address two questions: 1) do consumers opinions about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs, as communicated in DTCA, change when consumers are presented with objective comparative risk and benefit information about the drugs that are being promoted; 2) does DTCA stimulate the sales of drugs that are less effective, more expensive and with potentially greater risks over older drugs already on the market.

Keywords:
*analysis/United States/Food and Drug Administration/FDA/DTCA/direct-to-consumer advertising/consumer behaviour & knowledge/quality of information/attitude toward promotion/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: CONSUMERS/PATIENTS/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS