GET REAL! Drug Ads Don't Result in Unnecessary Prescriptions; Ads Enrich Doctor-Patient Communications, Says Ctr. for Patient Advocacy

4/19/2002

From: Laura Trevino of the Center for Patient Advocacy, 703-748-0400, ext. 23 or 202-549-2715 (after hours); e-mail: lauratrevino@patientadvocacy.org

McLEAN, Va., April 19 -- The Center for Patient Advocacy today sought to set the record straight on whether direct to consumer advertising of prescription drug medicine harms patients.

"Critics of direct to consumer advertising need to get real. They claim that patients are being harmed by drug ads because they are getting their hands on powerful drugs they don't need. That is simply not true," says Terre McFillen-Hall, executive director of the Center for Patient Advocacy. "The facts don't support that charge."

Nancy Chockley, president of the National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation (NIHCM), stated in a press release accompanying NIHCM's report, Prescription Drugs and Mass Media Advertising, 2001, "The good news is that consumers may be prompted to ask their doctors about drugs that could be useful for them. The bad news is that we still don't know whether (direct to consumer) ads are leading to inappropriate prescriptions for some patients."

GET REAL!

Actually, there is plenty of evidence that indicates that doctors still have a firm grip on the prescription pad and that direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals does not pressure doctors into writing unnecessary or inappropriate prescriptions.

Today's patient is an active player on his own health care team. Patients are asking questions, evaluating information, making choices and are fully involved in decisions about their health care.

As another source of health information for patients, direct to consumer advertising plays a very real role in providing patients with valuable information they might not easily find elsewhere including symptom recognition and available treatment options. And unlike many other resources patients turn to, direct to consumer advertising is one source that is strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Drug manufacturers must achieve a balance of information about a treatment's benefits and risks.

Studies show that direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs benefits patients by: -- allowing the patient to be more involved in their health care, -- raising awareness of disease, -- informing the patient about new treatments, -- prompting the patient to seek screening, diagnosis or treatment, -- sparking an improved dialogue between patient and doctor, -- destigmatizing certain conditions like mental illness and sexual dysfunction, -- prompting the patient to talk to their doctors about a condition they had not discussed before, -- combating undiagnosed conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and depression, -- spurring the patient to seek more information from other resources, -- educating the patient about the risks and side effects of drugs and prompting discussions with their doctor, and -- helping the patient comply with their doctor's instructions regarding medication.

What direct to consumer advertising does NOT do is lead to patients getting prescriptions for drugs that may be wrong for them. While direct to consumer advertising clearly prompts patients to see their doctor, patients cannot get prescription medicines unless their doctor finds those drugs are necessary and appropriate for their individual situation.

According to recent studies by the FDA and Prevention magazine, not all patients prompted to see a doctor by a DTC ad actually leave the doctor's office with a prescription for the drug they inquired about. Far from being pressured, studies even show that many doctors openly discuss alternatives, including non-drug alternatives, with their patients. Spurred by the information provided by direct to consumer advertising, the patient is approaching the doctor with their concerns and together they are making a decision about what, if any, drug may be prescribed.

While initially wary of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, doctors themselves have come to recognize how direct to consumer advertising enriches doctor-patient communication and the benefits patients derive from these ads. A 1999 survey by Louis Harris Interactives and the Harvard University School of Public Health found over half of physicians believe DTC ads had helped "educate and inform" their patients, and more than a quarter believe that the ads have increased patient compliance.

The bottom line is that there is no concrete evidence that the discussions prompted by direct to consumer advertising or questions about specific advertised drugs lead to inappropriate prescriptions.

The power to prescribe remains firmly in the hands of the doctor and these drugs are available only under a doctor's supervision.

What is abundantly clear is that direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs plays an important role in educating and informing patients and improving communication between patient and doctor. It would be a shame to deprive patients of direct to consumer advertising's clear benefits.

"There's another side to this story, the most important side, that of the patient which needs to be heard. This issue is really about the patient's continued access to good information on health care," concludes Hall.

Watch out for more of the facts on direct to consumer advertising in the coming days.

To arrange an interview with a patient advocate on the topic of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, contact Laura Trevino at the Center for Patient Advocacy by telephone at 703-748-0400, ext. 23 or 202-549-2715 or by e-mail at lauratrevino@patientadvocacy.org.

The Center for Patient Advocacy is a private, non-profit grassroots organization founded to represent the interests of patients nationwide and dedicated to ensuring that Americans have timely access to quality health care.