Direct Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Looking For...

Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: Looking to the Future Chances are, you have in some way, shape, or form encountered pharmaceutical advertising nearly everyday of your life. In the United States, pharmaceutical advertising has presented several concerns to consumers. Steps should be taken to reduce the negative effects of these types of advertisements. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, such as the TV commercials or magazine ads you see telling you to â€Å"ask your doctor if such-and-such drug is right for you†, and its possible consequences has recently come under scrutiny. This aspect of pharmaceutical advertising is controversial in that opposing parties disagree on whether or not it is truly a problem. Supporters of the†¦show more content†¦For example, the American Medical Association (AMA) has called for a ban on DTC advertising for drugs and medical devices. Physicians in the association raised concerns about the growing costs associated with increased DTC advertising. According to the AMA press release, in the last two years spending on advertising by drug companies has increased by 30 percent. This, combined with anticompetitive behaviors of companies (ex: trying to re-patent the same drug for slightly different symptoms), may contribute to the rising prices of drugs, according to the report. The risi ng prices, in turn, create yet another problem for doctors and patients; in cases of generic brand options, the brand-name drug might be much more costly but not significantly more effective. For drugs for which the manufacturer holds the only patent, high prices have the potential to prevent or discourage people from receiving the best and necessary treatment. For this reason, the AMA created a policy to help consumers. To achieve this, the AMA plans for an advocacy campaign to raise support for competition and fair choice in the industry as well as more price transparency for each drug. The AMA also calls for better enforcement by federal regulators of existing regulations. Lastly, the AMA will study the interactions between pharmaceutical companies, specifically mergers and acquisitions, and the effects on drug prices. The AMA’s new policy aims to encourage a balance