The Side Note

I just read the New York Times article, Lawmakers Seek to Curb Drug Commercials.

As a healthcare marketer, I believe that there should be some limits on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs, but I also believe many of those limits are already in place. I disagree with the politicians’ assessment that these ads push people to use drugs unnecessarily or buy name brands rather than generics.

Prescription drugs are just what their name implies, prescription required.  While it is the marketer’s job to present information on drugs and their benefits to the public, it is a physician’s job to explain the pros and cons of any drug, the alternatives to the drug and provide the prescription if/when warranted.  Physicians may not enjoy the demands from their patients that are provoked by drug commercials, but it can’t be any worse than constant self-diagnosis based on the wealth of medical information available on the Internet. Consumers have a right to drug information and have the ability to make decisions on their medical needs. Physicians have the responsibility to guide them in those decisions.

I am also a proponent of drug-based advertising because it can increase the treatments for conditions that individuals may ignore. I am sure that many men and women have seen an ad for a drug that pushed them to receive treatment for something they were previously too embarrassed to discuss, such as erectile dysfunction or bladder control.

I do recognize the criticism from some lawmakers on the money spent for national consumer ads, especially when you see ads such as the Brooke Shields advertisement for Latisse, a prescription treatment for eyelash growth. While I am sure many people can benefit from this product, on the surface, the advertisement does seem slightly trivial.

What do you think? As a healthcare marketer, are you for more limits on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements?