Healthy Skepticism Library item: 8206

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

Kessler DA.
Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: Is It Too Late to Manage the Risks?
Annals of Family Medicine 2007; 5:(1):4-5
http://www.annfammed.org/cgi/content/full/5/1/4

Abstract:

Pharmaceutical spending on television commercials nearly doubled from $654 million in 2001 to a staggering $1.19 billion in 2005. Nearly one third of the 2005 spending was on only 1 category: sleep medicines.1 Yet, sleep disorders, however problematic and serious they may be, are almost inconsequential when compared with the major causes of the death in the United States: cardiovascular disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries.2 No matter how much the industry claims its advertising provides public health benefits, the amount spent promoting drugs for conditions of varying severity begs the question of whether the industry truly is acting for the public benefit…

Keywords:
Drug industry • prescriptions, drug • public health • health education • primary health care • physician-patient relations • marketing, television, consumer health information

Notes:

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