If you’ve ever watch channel TV in the last 10 years, then you definitely seen your fair share of pharmaceutical advertisements. These direct to consumer ads illustrate the benefits and symptoms of their product, and urge their viewers to ask their doctor is that medication is right for them. While these direct to consumer ads seem to be integral now to our experience with watching television, the United States is one of two countries that allows pharmaceutical companies to advertise their products in this way.
Before the rise of such advertisements, pharmaceutical companies focused primarily on outreach to medical professional and doctors. Back then, it was expected that medical professionals would interpret the medicine and determine whether or not to prescribe it to their patients. However, in tangent with a rising sentiment that the individual should be involved in making healthcare decisions, pharmaceutical companies began to spend money on Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertisements. In 1996, pharmaceutical companies spend $550 million on drugs ads. This increased more than 10-fold by 2020, reaching $6.58 billion annually.
Like all such developments, there are many different views on how beneficial or detrimental DTC advertising is, especially as user data becomes increasingly accessible and personalized advertisments become more pervasive.
On one side, people view these drug ads as serving a public good as they educate consumers, increase engagement with beneficial medications that would’ve otherwise flown under the radar for a less beneficial alternative, and encouraging individuals to play an active role in their health — instead of taking a back seat and potentially getting mistreated or misdiagnosed.
However, there is concern regarding the boom in DTC advertisments in the past 2 decades. Many are worried that they may lead to the use of more epxensive branded medication, rather than just as effective, cheaper, generic options, and that people will automatically turn to perscriptions before attempting lifestyle changes/adopting healthier behaviros. Individuals may also become anxious that they possess a condition they don’t have, which may lead to unnecessary prescription of drugs that may actually be detrimental to patient health.
Additional concerns arise when one takes into account the rise in demand for personalized healthcare. On one hand, obtaining personalized treatment would be beneficial to patients. On the other, the infringement of privacy involved in utilizing user data to advertise prescriptions that an algorithm believes you need raises additional issues.
It is unlikely that DTC advertisements will go away any time soon. However as media changes over time, the advertisements may change and shift to better obtain public attention — switching out TV channel advertisements for shorts on Tik Tok and reels on Instagram.
I agree that DTC ads can be misleading when it comes to medicine. Drugs such as Ozempic now have such a big audience and it is highly talked about. I agree that there are two sides to this- it can be seen as positive because it is bringing awareness but also negative because consumers may lose money. I never really thought about how changes in media and entertainment might impact these ads, especially because we are so used to seeing them on TV. Do you think there are certain ways to educate the audience about alternatives?
This is definitely something that’s a huge issue in America. It’s so frustrating to watch an ad and then hear all the horrifying side effects of the drug be mumbled in 2x speed at the end of the commercial. I’m interested to see how the advertising will shift to TikTok and other social media platforms though. I think it would be really effective for drugs that target teenagers because that would be the majority of the audience. It’s still mind-blowing how much money pharmaceuticals get off commercials, on top of all the funding they recieve and their sales.