|
|
For Immediate Release |
| January 9, 2003 | |
| Contact: Carol McKay | |
| 202-835-3323 | |
| media@nclnet.org |
Consumers
Taking Control with DTC Rx Ads
New National Consumers League Survey
Shows Controversial Ads Inspire Patients to Seek out Doctors, Ask Questions
Washington,
DC—Prescription
drug advertisements often trigger consumers to seek more information, says the
National Consumers League (NCL), today releasing data from a national survey
commissioned to investigate American consumers’ opinions about the ads. This
type of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising reaches a vast majority of American
adults, piques interest in the medical condition or treatments or both, and
often motivates them to visit their doctors to talk about diseases that might
otherwise go undiscussed.
“With
DTC ads, large numbers of consumers are made aware of medical conditions and
treatments that they may otherwise not know exist,” said Linda Golodner, NCL
president. “But they’re smart; most recognize that the ads are tools for
selling products and evaluate them accordingly.”
According
to the survey, conducted in October, more than three-quarters of American adults
(77 percent) said they had seen or heard advertising for prescription
medications in the past 12 months. Of this population, more than half were
motivated by the ads to take action (57 percent). Most respondents were moved to
talk with their doctors about the medication—either immediately (16 percent)
or at their next appointment (31 percent). About one in four (26 percent) sought
more information on their own.
DTC
advertising is a subject of much debate, both among the consumers and the media.
The controversy surrounding the DTC debate is reflected in the NCL study.
Consumers believe prescription drug ads may encourage people to request
medication they don't necessarily need but agree that they should have access to
the information that the ads provide. An October 2002 report by the General
Accounting Office says that each year, over 8 million Americans ask for—and
receive from their doctors—medications they’ve seen advertised on television
or in print.
“Critics
attack such ads for provoking patients to ask their doctors for expensive drugs
for which they may not have a medical need,” Golodner said. “But if these
ads are encouraging dialogue of any nature between doctors and their patients,
this can hardly be a bad thing. Often ads help destigmatize conditions that may
have otherwise gone untreated due to patient embarrassment and limited medical
knowledge.”
Golodner
said consumers are wise to take DTC ads for prescription drugs as what they are:
commercial advertisements that need to be evaluated with a skeptical eye.
NCL’s survey found that, while consumers may be cynical about the intentions
of the companies funding prescription drug ads, few want them taken off the air
or out of print altogether. In fact, only one in four Americans thinks such ads
should be limited to medical magazines for doctors. This indicates that
consumers recognize the ads have a place in motivating patients to take a larger
role in their own treatment.
The
survey also found:
Of
adults who talked to or visited their doctor, few (9 percent) had already
decided they wanted the medication, although 51 percent wanted to find out
if it was right for them. Most of the remaining wanted to find out the best
way to treat their condition.
Doctors
who were asked about the advertising didn’t react poorly, according to the
patients surveyed. Overall, those respondents who spoke with their doctor
about the advertised medication were very positive about the discussion.
Only 2 percent say their doctor was upset at the mention of the medication
they saw advertised.
For complete survey results,
please visit www.nclnet.org.
The
National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is
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