Direct to Consumer Pharmaceutical Marketing in the United States: Perceptions, Reality, and Future Implications for the Public's Health

Direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) is a polarized topic, with healthcare professionals (HCPs), patients and policy makers involved in the debate. Opponents of DTC marketing believe that this practice increases the use of more expensive drugs that may not show a benefit over older, less expensive drugs. They argue that this practice leads to an overall increase in drug costs for the United States, by both influencing patients to ask for the advertised product, as well as indirect! y influencing physician to prescribe it. Opponents also feel that advertisements are skewed to inflate the benefits of the drugs, while mitigating the potential safety concerns of the products. Proponents of DTC marketing believe that mobilization of patients through increased disease awareness is a by-product of this practice, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of many patients. Surveys have shown that DTCA is believed to increase adherence to prescribed medications and plays a role in reducing the stigma associated with certain conditions. Interestingly, both patient and physician surveys addressing these issues have shown mixed results, leading to further debate about the impact of this practice. However, certain changes to the current way DTCA is being carried out could improve the perceived benefit that this and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, affords the patients and HCPs of the United States.Master of Public Healt