Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Essay

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advert of prescription drugs has vex common place in todays society. Every business firm with a television is aw ar of DTC advertizement as they interrupt their periodical programs. Every national magazine or local nakedspaper offers advert on the latest drug remedy for what ails us. This multi-media approach is relatively new for pharmaceutical companies as previously such efforts were directed only at physicians who were the sole decision acceptrs when choosing medicines. With the 1997 change in the food and Drug tribunals (FDA) guidelines along with diligents desires to be more involved in their give birth c be and apportionment, drug companies throw expanded their promotional efforts to include the consumer. This try out will look at some of the current regulations concerning DTC publicizing, pros and cons of these ads, and the good issues that hold up from DTC advertising.RegulationsDirect-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is the promo tion of prescription drugs through newspaper, magazine, television and internet marketing. (Direct-to-consumer advertising, 2010) These ads argon directed towards the end intentr, the consumer, and non the prescriber/physician. Prescription drug advertising has been modulate by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1962. Their Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and communications (DDMAC) is responsible for ensuring that companies that directly advertise to the customary are providing discipline that is truthful, balanced, and accurately described. (FDA, 2010) Even though the FDA has oversight on DTC advertising, it should not impose inessential restrictions on them as they fall under the category of commercial deliverance protected by the first amendment (Evans & Friede, 2003, p. 387). The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic subroutine requires that any one(a) who makes, packages, or sells prescription drugs for gentles must divulge information in their adve rtisements about the products uses and risks (U.S. Department of HHS, 1999, p. 3).This information disclosure is called the outline summary. Contrary to its name, the brief summary is rather lengthy as it must contain both risk associated with the drugs approved use. Prior to regulatory changes do in 1997, these disclosures had to be included in every advertisement qualification television commercials impractical due to the restricted count of time available. immediately at that place is a distinction between print and broadcast advertising so that only print ads must contain this brief summary. The DDMACs 1997 revisions now only require audio and/or visual ads to disclose two things. The drugs major risks in consumer-friendly language, the major statement, and give adequate purvey for the consumer to access the full product labeling (U.S. Department of HHS, 1999, p. 5). This derriere be achieved by providing a toll free number to call, referencing the full advertisement in a print ad, or making sure brochures are comfortably accessible outside of a physicians office, care a pharmacy or grocery store. By decreasing the amount of information required in these ads, commercials suddenly became a viable form of marketing.Advertisements follow upn on television or in magazines are not required to be submitted to the FDA for approval prior to their release however, companies must submit their ads to the FDA when they first bug out in public. The FDA is available to offer their advice to pharmaceutical companies when asked for help (FDA, 2010). Once they see the ad and if they feel that it violates the law, they will send a warning garner requesting that the company stop the ad immediately. These letters are posted on their web site for public inspection. The draw backwards to this shape is that an ad that violates the law may be aired without oversight. If the warning letters do not sort out the situation, the FDA locoweed work with the Departmen t of Justice to seek injunctions against companies, or criminally prosecute firms. (Vogt, 2005, p. 26) The FDA likewise has the authority to seize drugs that it deems as mis soiled and fag even off reverse approval for the drug.Pros there are numerous arguments on the benefits of direct-to-consumer advertising. Supporters of DTC advertising contend that ads hind end be educational, go out important wellness information, and generate sales to further necessary enquiry and development (R&D). genius of the most commonly heard reasons is that DTC advertising has assisted consumers in identify(ing) un healthiness conditions and engage(ing) in more informed conferences with their health care providers. (Pfizer, 2011) Supporters uphold that this advertising helps the doctor/patient relationship by being a conversation starter allowing discussions on disorders and options that a patient may not score known how to talk about earlier. Most patients today are enlightend and desire a greater direct of involvement in their health care motleynatives. DTC advertising gives the consumer power through knowledge. Important health information can be delivered in DTC advertising. These ads have the ability to reach millions of consumers relatively easily. by dint of print and media advertising, pharmaceutical companies can play a useful fictitious character in raising awareness of sure conditions and disorders. Raising the publics awareness can promote consumers to seek medical attention when they differently may not have. Seeing these conditions on television or in a magazine can lessen the stigma associated with them. Large pharmaceutical companies use the money made from DTC advertising to fund their R&D. This research and development plays an integral part in ensuring a drugs safety which in turn saves generic companies from needing to repeat R&D on the identical drug. This makes generic producers some other upholder of DTC ads. By advertising new, name brand drugs, companies are causing a demand for the medication. Once the drug has anomic its patent, physicians can begin prescribing the less expensive generic alternative. The generic manufacturer has benefited by default on the large pharmas campaign.ConsThere are an equal number of allegations on the negative effect of direct-to-consumer advertising. Opponents of DTC ads get by that ads can be detrimental to the physician/patient relationship, increase medication damages, and harm public health. Those against DTC ads feel that they have the potential to change the course doctors and patients interact with each other. A patient may see a particular advertisement and be prevail on _or_ upond that they have a certain condition or that they need a specific drug. The patient may then present to their doctor feeling that they have diagnosed themselves and request prescriptions even if not needed. The physician may then feel pressured to oblige the patient rather than discussing o ther, possibly cheaper or drug free, treatment options. This scenario can run away to over-prescribing and over-use of a particular drug based on the effectiveness of the advertisement. Others have argued that advertising is expensive and the pharmaceutical companies have to recoup their cost somewhere.This leads to the cost being passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prescription costs. The amount of money spent on DTC ads has increase dramatically from 1997 to 2005 from $1.1 one million million million to $4.2 billion (GAO, 2006, p. 12). This increase expenditure could create higher healthcare costs crossways the board. Another cost of DTC advertising could be at the expense of public health. Most consumers lack the specialized knowledge required to evaluate the glut of these ads and therefore take them at face value. They may not be fully aware of the harmful side effects or interactions of the drug. DTC ads can be seen as misleading since they are not required to bear on other alternatives like diet, exercise or other preventative measures. These alternatives could treat the advertised condition without medication. By not including the alternatives, companies are advocating drug use as a primary response to medical conditions. honest Issues pharmaceutical companies have a substantial obligation to ensure that their direct-to-consumer advertising is ethical. Their products not only have the ability to help consumers but they may also cause potential harm. Advertising of a drug is not like advertising of any other product where you are trying to convince the consumer to buy something they dont need. Drug advertising needs to educate the consumer while still promoting their product. thought process tactics therefore should be ethical. How does one go about knowing if DTC advertising methods are ethical? In the book Persuasion Theory and Practice, ethical persuasion is defined as a communication activity that permits maximum individual choice (Anderson, 1978, p. 3). The key is that the consumer must be able to make a voluntary choice without feeling coerced. DTC ads should not rely on deceptive or manipulative tactics. As previously stated, the consumer can be viewed as a susceptible audience if they are being spoken to at a level that is beyond their ability to understand (Baker & Martinson, 2001, p. 166).honorable marketing requires that these audiences not be unfairly targeted because of this vulnerability. DTC advertising ethics is concerned with what drug companies ought or ought not to do. Lying is morally wrong and therefore considered unethical. Using lies or fancied impressions in a DTC ad distorts the information a consumer receives and can alter the choices they may make (Baker & Martinson, 2001, p. 160). Therefore DTC ads should not create false impressions or omit pertinent information just for the sake of the ad. The point of DTC advertising should not be increased sales but be more of a means to an impor tant social end which should be consumer education.An object lesson of an ethical advertisement would be one that utilizes those messages that demonstrate respect for the consumer to whom they are directed. Respecting the consumer means that their needs are placed before the needs of the advertiser. Currently, the DDMAC does not regulate the ethicalness of pharmaceutical advertising. Their mission statement is, To protect the public health by assuring prescription drug information is truthful, balanced and accurately communicated. (FDA, 2010) Ethical ads fall apart the truth about their product and do not try to distort its capabilities or hide its defects. (Vaux) Unfortunately an ad can be truthful and still be considered unethical. Ads that play to base human emotions such as fear can be considered unethical as they are just trying to promote emotions that would cause the consumer to seek reprieve through the advertisers product.ConclusionDirect-to-consumer advertising has been integrated into our tillage and is likely not going to go away. Just as there are those who lobby against these ads, there are an equal number of proponents who support them. Regulations have been changed to allow the advancement of these ads to their current place in our society. As such, the DDMAC is constantly monitoring DTC ads and will need to be the ones to set ethical boundaries and ensure theyre being adhered to. Consumers must evaluate pharmaceutical ads critically so as not to be persuaded as much as they are educated. Although proponents of DTC advertising argue they provide important consumer information, too frequently the ads can operate dysfunctionally by providing misinformation and inducing the consumer to make purchases that are not in either their short or long term interest. (Baker & Martinson, 2001, p. 151) Ethical DTC ads should serve an educational theatrical role first and a promotional purpose second.They should offer consumers information on alternative s along with true representations of the risks their medications may have. unethical ads are those that may try to point out your flaws, i.e. depression, and then tell you they have the answer, i.e. Prozac. These unethical ads will use your emotions to cause you to believe you are in need of a fix when in reality you may not be. I believe there is a place for direct-to-consumer advertising. Consumers are constantly looking for more and more information to help them make better informed decisions.DTC ads, when done appropriately, can be used to provide this information not only about medications but health conditions as well. Decreasing public stigma around certain health issues is another advantage advertising can bring especially if it opens doors for patients to have rocky discussions with their doctors. That being said, I believe that a balance lies with the FDA needing to take a more proactive role in how they manage DTC ads. I view that all ads should be required to go throug h a pre-approval process rather than the current release and retract method. It is hard to take back something that has already been seen and that may cause damage to the consumer.ReferencesDirect-to-consumer advertising. (2010, June 11). Retrieved March 4, 2012, from Sourcewatch http//www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Direct-to-consumer_advertising Anderson, K. E. (1978). Persuasion Theory and practice. Boston Allyn & Bacon. Baker, S., & Martinson, D. L. (2001). The TARES test Five principles of ethical persuasion. Journal of mount Media Ethics, 16(2), 148-175. Evans, G. W., & Friede, A. I. (2003). The Food and Drug Administrations regulation of prescription drug manufacturer speech A first admendment analysis. Food and Drug fairness Journal, 58(3), 365-437. FDA. (2010, April 4). Drugs. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from FDA http//www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/PrescriptionDrugAdvertising/ucm071964.htm GAO. (2006). Prescription drugs Improvements needed in FDAs oversigh t of direct-to-consumer advertising. Pfizer. (2011). Ethical Sales and Marketing. Retrieved March 5, 2012, from Pfizer http//www.pfizer.com/investors/financial_reports/annual_reports/2010/ethics-sales.jsp U.S. Department of HHS. (1999). Guidance for Industry Consumer-Directed Broadcast Advertisements. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vaux, R. (n.d.). What is the