So it is a question of how and when. As you know, DTC is highly regulated, which certainly interferes with freedom to make whatever claims one wishes about about a drug’s benefits, lack of risks, etc.

Do you believe that that regulation also quashes freedom of speech? Serious question - some do think that way, and would be happy to take us back to 1904, before the Pure Food and Cosmetics Act regulated any promotional claims whatsoever.

We love it, we fight for it, we die for it…and some of you want to quash it.

The original intent, as has been noted here in the past, was for the ads to be educational and science-driven. Take Celebrex’s “Dig Deeper” ad. It is nothing like Viva Viagra, yet they get painted with the same brush.

What I find ironic is that, not long after the DTC ban was lifted, beverage companies ended their voluntary ban on hard liquor ads. I’m aware of far less backlash against those, and I don’t think anyone can argue that Captain Morgan’s has therapeutic value greater than Plavix.

I wonder if there are lessons to be learned from what the alcohol companies did?

This is only one dimension among many, but I don’t think it is an accident that the general decline of public trust in the industry since ‘97 coincides with the surge of DTC televsion ads. That decline is very clearly documented in polls that do not ask about DTC but about how well and how reliably the industry does its job in general.

Coincidental?

http://www.fda.gov/cder/ddmac/Final%20Report/FRFinalExSu1119042.pdf

Here’s a few (selected) stats from the article:

“72 percent of physicians agreed that DTC advertising increases awareness of possible treatments, and 44 percent of physicians believed that it facilitates earlier awareness of health conditions. About a third of physicians thought that DTC advertising increases the likelihood of proper medication usage, and a third believed it helps patients maintain their treatment over time”

“About half of all physicians reported no pressure to prescribe, and 91 percent of physicians reported that the particular patient they recalled did not attempt to influence their treatment in a manner that would have been harmful to the patient. Primary care physicians did report more pressure to prescribe than did specialists, however, with 22 percent of primary care physicians feeling “somewhat” or “very pressured” to prescribe a drug.”

“Finally, patients were asked about how DTC influences their own health. Thirty-two percent (32%) felt the ads help them make better health decisions. Eighteen percent (18%) of respondents agreed that DTC advertisements remind them to take their medications, whereas 17 percent reported that the advertisements cause anxiety about their health.”

“Generally, about three out of four respondents (77%) agreed that DTC advertisements increase awareness of new drugs (a decline from 86% in 1999). Fifty-eight percent (58%) felt the ads provide enough information to make a decision about whether to discuss the drug with a doctor. In terms of specific content within the ads, 60 percent felt the ads do not provide enough information about risks, and 44 percent believed the ads lack adequate benefit information.”