Optimistic Bias and Consumer Prescription Drug Decisions: Influences of Direct to Consumer Advertising and Perceived Susceptibility

The release of clarified Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and independent changes in consumer behavior provide an opportunity to study the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) in the prescription drug market alongside the effects of various physician-oriented promotions. We examine the effects of DTCA and detailing for brands in five therapeutic classes of drugs, using monthly aggregate U.S. data from August 1996 through December 1999. In terms of impact of DTCA on demand, we provide evidence on two issues: (1) do increases in DTCA increase the market size of an entire therapeutic class? and (2) does DTCA increase within-class market share of advertised drugs? Our findings suggest that, for these classes of drugs, DTCA has been effective primarily through increasing the size of the entire class. Overall, we estimate that 13 to 22 percent of the recent growth in prescription drug spending is attributable to the effects of DTCA.

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Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters"

International Journal of Health Policy and Management ◽

10.15171/ijhpm.2016.11 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 271-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tim K. Mackey

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Drug Promotion ◽

Direct To Consumer Advertising ◽

Perfect Storm

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Vraag uw huisarts om meer informatie

Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschappen ◽

10.5117/2010.038.001.080 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sandra Zwier ◽

André Boekhorst

Keyword(s):

Prescription Drug ◽

European Commission ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Public Debate ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

European Context ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Prescription Drug Advertising ◽

Direct To Consumer Advertising

Ask your doctor: From prescription drug advertising to physician’s prescription Ask your doctor: From prescription drug advertising to physician’s prescription Ongoing proposals by the European Commission to adapt the current ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs (DTCA) are generating much public debate. This article reviews the –mainly US based– empirical evidence for the effects of DTCA on a) consumers’ exposure, b) consumers’ requests for advertised drugs, and c) physicians’ reactions to these requests, and discusses how the Dutch and broader European context can impact upon these effects. It is concluded that there is empirical evidence for DTCA’s impact on American consumers and physicians, but also that the European context is likely to reduce the strength of these effects.

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An Rx for Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drug Products

Journal of Hospital Marketing ◽

10.1300/j043v04n01_10 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 143-152

Author(s):

Troy Festervand

Keyword(s):

Prescription Drug ◽

Drug Products ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Direct To Consumer Advertising

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Healthworlds, Cultural Health Toolkits, and Choice: How Acculturation Affects Patients’ Views of Prescription Drugs and Prescription Drug Advertising

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732319827282 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (10) ◽

pp. 1419-1432

Author(s):

Crystal Adams ◽

Brittany M. Harder ◽

Anwesa Chatterjee ◽

Liza Hayes Mathias

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Treatment Options ◽

The United States ◽

Drug Advertising ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

Direct To Consumer Advertising ◽

Level Of Acculturation

How do minorities differ from Whites in their interactions with the broader consumeristic health culture in the United States? We explore this question by investigating the role that acculturation plays in minority and White patients’ views of prescription drugs and the direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Drawing on data from six race-based focus groups, we find that patients’ views of prescription drugs affect their responses to DTCA. While both minorities and Whites value the information they receive from DTCA, level of acculturation predicts how minorities use the information they receive from DTCA. Less acculturated minorities have healthworlds and cultural health toolkits that are not narrowly focused on prescription drugs. This results in skepticism on the part of less acculturated minorities toward pharmaceuticals as treatment options. In this article, we argue that researchers must consider the role acculturation plays in explaining patients’ health dispositions and their consumeristic health orientations.

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