I got an email from the Pennsylvania Medical Society
And it said:
Recently, the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine studied the impact of pharmaceutical television advertisements on Pennsylvanian adults. The study was conducted through "The Patient Poll," a periodic survey of Pennsylvanians on various health care issues. Pasted below is a news release on the findings.A poll of Pennsylvania adults 10 years after the first direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical television advertisement ran suggests that nearly half of the participants have asked their doctor about a specific prescription drug or medical procedure they saw advertised.
But, instead of getting upset about this situation, one physician says it's better for his colleagues to be prepared for questions.
"Most physicians are divided about whether or not pharmaceutical advertisements directed towards patients are good," said Dr. Peter Lund, founder of the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine. "Some say it's good to have patients informed, while others say it's bad because of induced demand and incorrect self-diagnosing. Our advice to Pennsylvania physicians is to be alert to what's being advertised and be prepared to answer questions since there's a good chance they'll be asked."
Although the Institute for Good Medicine says this is the first time The Patient Poll has studied this issue and thus it has no historical data to suggest patient trends, Dr. Lund points to a study published in the August 16, 2007, edition of The New England Journal of Medicine that suggests total spending on pharmaceutical promotion grew from $11.4 billion in 1996 to $29.9 billion in 2005. Real spending on direct-to-consumer advertising increased by 330 percent during those years.
"There's clear evidence that the pharmaceutical industry is spending more to promote medications," Dr. Lund, an Erie-Pa. urologist and incoming president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, says. "If it wasn't working for them, they wouldn't be pumping more money into that budget area."
While direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements can be traced back to 1981, the debate on advertising directly to patients accelerated within the medical community 10 years ago when the Food and Drug Administration changed policy to allow television advertisements directed towards patients.
"I don't know a physician who hasn't been asked by at least one patient about a specific drug they saw advertised," Dr. Lund says.
But, Dr. Lund also says that while patients are asking for certain prescription drugs, they realize that generic drugs may be available for some, and that they should be equally effective, according to two additional questions asked by The Patient Poll.
Nearly 62 percent of participants in the poll believe that brand drugs and their generic versions are about the same. And, 53 percent have asked their doctor to prescribe a generic instead of a brand name.
"Although generics may not be available as ads are being run for newer drugs, patients know that once a generic is available, it will likely do the same trick for less money," Dr. Lund says. "Still, however, they'll ask for a specific drug based upon what they remember seeing advertised."
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