Question

Prepare a 1200 words persuasive essay on this topic:
should advertising on prescription drugs be banned?
use MLA or APA on 3 library/ database sources and 1 credible Internet source. Wikipedia is not an acceptable source

Answer 1

Advertising on prescription drugs

Table of content:

• Abstract

• Introduction

• Pros of Direct to Consumer Advertising

• Cons of direct to consumer advertising

• Reasons to ban dtc ads for prescription drugs

• Conclusion

• References

Abstract:

Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertising occurs whenever an advertisement is viewed by someone who doesn’t have the ability to go out and purchase that product on their own. In the US, the most common form of DTC advertising comes from the pharmaceutical industry. The promotions discuss the advantages a drug may have, but then encourages the individual who is viewing the ad to discuss the drug with their doctor. As with any type of marketing, direct to consumer advertising pros and cons must be considered when evaluating the value of these efforts.

Introduction:

Obnoxious, annoying, Big Pharma strikes again – these are just some of the sentiments heard when encountering a direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisement, the myriad commercials on radio or television, or adverts in magazines, newspapers, or on the internet, promoting prescription drugs to consumers. The pros and cons of DTC advertising have been bandied about since the inception of this marketing platform more than a decade ago. The arguments in favour of DTC advertising are less well known, but still important to consider. First, DTC advertising helps to make patients aware of their treatment options, such as new drugs for a particular disease, and the potential side effects of taking the drug. DTC adverts also help to destigmatise and raise awareness of certain disorders, prompting patients to seek medical attention when they might not have otherwise. In short, patients become more motivated to take control of their healthcare and become more active partners in the patient-doctor relationship.

The extent to which the pros outweigh the cons (or vice versa) has been argued in recent years, as long-term studies have followed the effects of DTC advertising the percentage of marketing budgets spent on DTC advertising, the effect on the number of prescriptions written, surveys of physicians on the extent to which DTC has affected the doctor-patient relationship and prescribing habits, the spread of costs across healthcare delivery (eg, fewer hospitalisations with increased use of prescription drugs). Supporters of DTC advertising are also facing criticism of poor oversight of the ads by the FDA.

The Pros of Direct to Consumer Advertising:

1. It provides consumers with educational opportunities about new drugs.

When patients see their health care professional, they often don’t know anything about the drugs their doctor will prescribe for them. By having advertisements about new drugs available to patients, they can ask their doctor about alternative medicines which might be right for them.

2. It may encourage patients to seek out earlier treatments.

Early diagnosis and treatment is the key to defeating just about every disease known to mankind right now. Cancer especially becomes easier to treat and place into remission with early detection. DTC advertising helps to raise patient awareness of the potential warning signs of a serious illness so early treatment becomes more of a possibility.

3. The images of the advertising is often appealing.

There are many people who don’t like to go to the doctor. Up to 1 in 10 people are even afraid of visiting the doctor. It isn’t because of denial. It is an actual fear. The appealing images that are contained within the average DTC advertising can help to place tense minds at ease.

4. Doctors often fulfill patient drug requests.

Patients who take charge of their health and have a positive mind-set about it often have a good chance of recovering even from a serious disease. When DTC advertising gives someone hope because they see a new drug which hasn’t been recommended to them before, then that hope can become a powerful healing tool.

5. There are multiple resources available to answer patient questions.

People can go to their pharmacist if they wish to have questions answered about a drug they’re interested in using. They can read pamphlets, brochures, and other information. It isn’t just the doctor today that becomes a resource about medication thanks to DTC advertising.

The Cons of Direct to Consumer Advertising:

1. It can lead to false health scares.

DTC advertising often discusses what symptoms can be resolved when the drug is taken as instructed. This can cause people to hear those symptoms, think that they’ve experienced them as well, and then believe they also have the issue or disease being discussed. In return, patients spend money on their health care that didn’t need to be spent.

2. It increases patient costs.

Are the drug manufacturers going to just eat the cost of DTC advertising? Will the distributors pay for some of that cost? Of course not. Advertising costs are built into the prices of the drugs being distributed. This means it is ultimately the patient who pays more for the medicine they need because of these marketing efforts.

3. The side effects a drug may cause are often under-stated.

In a TV DTC ad, you’ll often hear the narrator speak about the side effects as fast as they can. The other option is to present the side effects in a loving, caring voice that says, “You don’t need to worry about these.” Side effects must be considered as part of the diagnostic process, but unfortunately they tend to be overlooked by those exposed to the advertising in question.

4 The health benefits which can be obtained tend to be over-stated.

If 1 person in a 100 can have a complete cure from a new medication, then the drug manufacturer can present a DTC ad which says there is the possibility of a cure happening. It doesn’t matter if the cure rate is just 1%.

5. It encourages the use of medication when it may not always be necessary.

There are some conditions which can benefit from lifestyle changes and non-drug treatments. Thanks to DTC advertising, however, many patients are looking for a quick fix that the drug seems to promise instead of the work it may take to reclaim their health.

Reasons to ban DTC ads for prescription drugs:

• The ads are driving up overall medical costs because patients are opting for the brand-name drugs they’ve seen ads for, as opposed to more affordable generics.

• Though the information in the ads may be truthful, some feel it is presented in a way that emphasizes or overestimates the benefits of the drug while de-emphasizing the side effects and negative points. As a result, patients may develop unrealistic expectations.

• Even though an ad is FDA-approved, it can take years of use to truly know the long-term effects of a new drug, and these ads may encourage patients to request new medications before a doctor is comfortable with their long-term safety and effectiveness.

• The ads may convince patients that completely normal and healthy changes are symptoms of a serious condition, encouraging them to seek medical treatment they don’t actually need. As a result, some doctors believe the ads contribute to the overuse of prescription drugs for medical conditions which are harmless or which can be resolved with lifestyle changes.

• When a patient is convinced that they know what medication they need based on ads they’ve seen, it may force the doctor to spend valuable appointment time explaining why they are prescribing a different option, and may harm customer relationship management by making patients mistrust their doctor’s expertise.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends banning DTC ads for prescription-only drugs, and the US and New Zealand are currently the only countries where these ads are legal.

Conclusion:

One solution would be to temporarily ban consumer advertising for a period after a drug first hits the market. Newly launched medicines often bring unexpected side effects. Some drug companies have started to voluntarily limit their advertising. The pharmaceutical industry should be willing to do the same. Promoting medicines is not always the same thing as promoting public health. Lawmakers have pushed bills to ban drug ads before, but a new effort is likely to be extremely contentious because of criticism that any limits on drug advertising would trample on the free speech rights of pharmaceutical companies.

For a ban to go into effect, Congress would have to pass a new law. And given the slim chances for political change, the AMA might be better off reaching a compromise than setting up an antagonistic relationship with drug makers.

References:

• Time to Ban Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Marketing - NCBI – NIH

• Consumer Drug Advertising Should Be Banned - NYTimes.com

• Prescription Drug Ads ProCon.org