We’ve all seen them: those pesky “ask your doctor” prescription drug ads that are targeted directly to the consumer. And though many of us may find them annoying and borderline unethical, the question remains; does direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising work?
According to new research published this week in a British medical Journal, direct-to-consumer drug advertising has very little if any affect on sales. This data may come as a shock to American pharmaceutical companies who collectively spent approximately $5 billion (that’s billion with a “b”) on “ask your doctor” type ad campaigns in 2006.
The ads began increasing after 1997, following a policy change by the US Food and Drug Administration, which relaxed government regulations, allowing pharmaceutical companies to market prescription drugs directly to consumers. This controversial policy change by the FDA has drawn strong criticism both within and without the United States. Consumer advocates point out that the deregulation has contributed to consumers pressuring doctors to prescribe a specific medication — whether it is in their best interest or not.
In fact, the direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs is so controversial, it is currently only allowed in two countries: the United States and New Zealand. Interestingly, the “ask your doctor” ads have become such a source of controversy in New Zealand, that there is a growing movement to ban them in that country altogether.
Back in United States, there is less public outrage, though consumer surveys indicate that about 50% of Americans do not approve of the tactic of marketing a prescription drug directly to consumers.
But new research conducted in Canada suggests that the direct-to-consumer ads may not be an effective sales tool anyway. A 5-year study investigated the effectiveness of the ads. Direct-to-consumer marketing is not legal in Canada, but English speaking Canadians are routinely bombarded with the ads from American television, especially those who live closest to the American border.
French speaking Canadians were used as the control group in the study, and the research focused on three specific drugs intended for arthritis, allergies and bowel problems, respectively. The researchers examined whether being exposed to the “ask your doctor” ads increased sales in the English speaking Canadian regions — something that would be expected if the ads were having the desired effect.
The results? Sales of all three medications were exactly the same amongst Canadians exposed to the advertising, and those who were not. The study suggests that, at least among Canadian citizens, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs does not increase sales. Of course there are many cultural differences between Canada and United States, so the fact that the ads had little or no effect on Canadians does not guarantee the same result with Americans.
