Study Determines Whether or not Patients are “Asking Their Doctors”

by nicole ~ September 3, 2008

Have you ever been embarrassed by the airing of an ad for Valtrex or Cialis at an inopportune time? Have you ever wondered if Restless Leg Syndrome really exists outside of people’s minds?Considering the pharmaceutical industry spends almost $5 billion per year on advertising, chances are, you have. However, according to this article in The Wall Street Journal, those dollars may be going to waste.  The article reports on a recent Harvard Medical School study, which found advertising for prescription drugs has little impact on consumer choices.

This article raises several interesting points.  It says:

“The study may undercut the arguments of opponents of such ads, which have been allowed almost nowhere outside the U.S. Critics say they lead to drug overuse and misuse by impressionable patients pressing their doctors to prescribe what is seen on TV.

But the study also raises the question of whether the pharmaceutical industry’s $4.8 billion annual spending on such ads is a waste of shareholders’ money”

I actually thought about this over the weekend when I saw an ad for Menactra, the vaccine preventing meningitis. I had this vaccination years ago when I entered college, as did most of the people I know.  We got the vaccination because it was required by our schools.  I can’t imagine schools have stopped requiring this vaccination, so what is the point of this ad? Is it reaching people who should get the vaccination but don’t know about it? I’m not sure, but a past Wall Street Journal article about meningitis states:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends Menactra for all 11-to- 18-year-olds. As of 2006, however, only 12% of those eligible had received the vaccine. Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer, expects the rate to rise to 50% this year. Even so, that leaves tens of millions of teenagers unprotected.”

I’m not here to argue whether or not teenagers should get the meningitis vaccination, but if the CDC recommends it, based on this Harvard report, they should probably find another way to get that point across….and pharmaceutical companies ought to find a better use for their $4.8 billion.  I’d certainly be happy if I never saw another ad for an erectile dysfunction aid again.