Prescription Drug Commercials...
I have never understood why there are commercials for prescription drugs. I could understand having advertisements for over-the-counter medications, since we, as consumers, can make our own choices about what sort of medication we like more or works better for our bodies. (I feel like this is very Seinfeldian)
It makes no sense, however, why prescription drugs, such as Vytorin, Avodart, Plavix, Lunesta, and so many more, have advertisements. When a doctor finds a particular problem with a patient, he/she will determine and prescribe the best medicine. We effectively have no say in their prescription. Even if we do suggest a particular drug that we saw on TV, it's not as if the doctor would not know about it, as it would have been prescribed to us had he/she felt it was appropriate.
Do these commercials target doctors and not patients? Are they trying to take advantage of doctors' inherent biases, or even manipulate their views, towards certain pharmaceutical companies, so that the doctors prescribe one particular medication over another? I guess that would make most sense, but I still don't see why they bombard a mass audience that only has a small percentage of doctors with all of these commercials. Maybe I'm missing something.
It makes no sense, however, why prescription drugs, such as Vytorin, Avodart, Plavix, Lunesta, and so many more, have advertisements. When a doctor finds a particular problem with a patient, he/she will determine and prescribe the best medicine. We effectively have no say in their prescription. Even if we do suggest a particular drug that we saw on TV, it's not as if the doctor would not know about it, as it would have been prescribed to us had he/she felt it was appropriate.
Do these commercials target doctors and not patients? Are they trying to take advantage of doctors' inherent biases, or even manipulate their views, towards certain pharmaceutical companies, so that the doctors prescribe one particular medication over another? I guess that would make most sense, but I still don't see why they bombard a mass audience that only has a small percentage of doctors with all of these commercials. Maybe I'm missing something.
posted by pavYedav at
11:30 AM
3 Comments:
It seems that prescription medications often follow waves of popularity that harken back to the days of prescribing leeches for every ailment known to man. While not quite that ridiculous now, mass exposure to a brand name might help a drug company to remain in the forefront of people's minds, physicians and patients alike.
I think you should consider this issue another way. The marketing budgets for prescription drugs are exhorbitant. Pharmaceuticals spent $20.5B in 2008 according to the CBO. Probably 2/3 of that spending went to things like sending drug reps into hospitals with lunches, marketing materials, gift bags, etc. They throw parties, hold golf outings, send people on vacations, all for simply giving them 5-10 minutes of your time (as a physician) to hear about their drug and to consider prescribing it. Having said all of that, the TV ads are just a drop in the bucket in a much larger campaign strategy.
I'm just glad they have to disclose side effects in those commercials because theres nothing like hearing about how to solve your heartburn while simultaneously causing yourself headaches, suicidal thoughts, nasal congestion, and dry skin.
By
Paul Milligan, At
January 15, 2010 12:33 PM
You'll find this interesting: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/105xx/doc10522/12-02-DrugPromo_Brief.pdf
By
Paul Milligan, At
January 15, 2010 12:35 PM
So my mom is a doctor and she tells me all about how the drug reps from pharmaceutical companies work incredibly hard to build business relationships with doctors in order to advocate for their drugs. Clearly, this has been effective for them because, as you mentioned, the doctor ultimately decides what to prescribe.
However, you will notice that only the most expensive drugs are advertised on TV because they generate enough money to pay for commercials. Pharmaceutical companies continue to do this because it actually works for them! Think of a typical commercial... the voice-over describes the symptoms a person may have and claims that these specific symptoms can be treated with the drug being advertised. Then, the consumer makes an appt with his or her doctor, tells the doctor that they feel a certain way (using the same symptoms described in the commercial), and the doctor agrees to prescribe the drug because they too have heard of the drug being a good fit for such symptoms when the drug-reps come in and advocate for their drugs. The drug manufacturer's advertising efforts come full circle.
I read somewhere (I will look for the source for you), that 70% of the time a patient asks for a specific drug, the doctor will prescribe it.
If pharmaceutical companies did not have so much money (which they do because of their business model and .. in my opinion, often twisted means of creating drugs), you probably wouldn't see so many ads for prescription drugs. Doctors would be left to prescribe what they feel from their own research matches a patient's symptoms best (and don't get me wrong, a lot of doctors do this.. i.e., my mom does a lot of her own research so she is not subjected to the TV ads or drug-rep presentations). But, we will probably continue to see these ads from the most expensive drugs as long as they keep making large enough profits to finance them.
By
MariamMalik, At
January 15, 2010 1:56 PM
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