TV DRUG COMMERCIALS

Should drug companies advertise prescription drugs directly to the consumer?

It is certainly shown that direct advertising of prescription drugs pays off in sales and also overuse of the drugs.  Several heavily advertised drugs were withdrawn from the market because of serious side effects. The FDA has been criticized for not strictly enforcing this problem.

Ten years ago the drug industry spent 11 billion dollars in consumer advertising.  In 2005 it was 30 billion dollars. Advertising starts about 1 years after FDA approval of a drug.  FDA letters of warning dropped from 142 in 1997 to only 21 in 2006.

It is felt that we the consumers will bear the increased costs in the form of higher drug prices.  When a drug is only available for a year its safety profile is not known and doctors themselves have little expierence of the drug’s safety. The FDA in 1999 reviewed 64% of the ads before they were released.  In 2004 they only reviewed 32% of the ads. 

Should there be more regulation of direct consumer ads?

What do you think?

                                                NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL MEDICINE, AUG 16, 2007