The pharmaceutical industry has long relied on marketing to move drugs from manufacturers' laboratories to consumers' medicine cabinets. From 1938, with the passage of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, until the mid-1980s, the industry focused its efforts almost entirely on physicians. Correctly recognizing physicians as their principal customer, drug manufacturers deployed large armies of sales representatives who marched into physicians' offices bearing promotional materials, drug samples, coffee mugs, “continuing education” dinner invitations, and baseball tickets.
Relying solely on promotion to physicians made sense when they exercised uncontested control over prescribing, but changing times have meant changing strategies. In recent years, the phenomenon known generically as “managed care” has sparked the widespread proliferation of drug formularies, utilization review systems, and pharmaceutical risk-sharing …show more content…
It will, however, inevitably drain healthcare dollars, dramatically increase unnecessary prescribing, and strain patient-doctor relationships.4
With nothing less than the health of the public at stake, not to mention billions of dollars, it is no wonder that the debate has veered toward acrimony. Each side has tended to overstate its case. Yes, these ads may prompt some patients to seek care for previously undiagnosed and untreated conditions. And, yes, they may spur other patients to make unnecessary visits to the doctor and to incur the risk of medication side effects while gaining little benefit. However, the net benefits and risks of direct-to-consumer promotion are unknown. The research required to make these assessments is