Direct-to-consumer advertising

For direct-to-consumer selling by manufacturers, see Direct selling.
Not to be confused with Direct-to-consumer, Direct marketing, or Direct trade.

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) refers to the marketing and advertising of pharmaceutical products directly to consumers as patients, as opposed to specifically targeting health professionals. The term is synonymous primarily with the advertising of prescription medicines via mass media platforms—most commonly on television and in magazines, but also via online platforms.[1]

Direct-to-consumer advertising is only completely legal in New Zealand and the United States, but are subject to regulations regarding the balanced disclosure of a prescription's benefits in comparison to its risks (including but not limited to side effects and contraindications), among other factors.[2][3][4] Regulations regarding DTCA are typically applied to advertising materials that describe a prescription's indications and benefits, and may be more lenient to advertising materials which do not discuss uses. Many countries ban any advertising of prescription drugs directly to consumers.

There are ethical and regulatory concerns regarding DTCA, specifically the extent to which these ads may unduly influence the prescribing of the prescriptions based on consumer demands when, in some cases, they may not be medically necessary, or there are cheaper options available. Critics of DTCA have argued that too much is spent on marketing medications, rather than into research and development; in the United States, ad spending by drugmakers reached US$5.2 billion in 2016.

  1. ^ Mogull SA, Balzhiser D (September 2015). "Pharmaceutical Companies Are Writing the Script for Health Consumerism". Commun. Des. Q. Rev. 3 (4): 35–49. doi:10.1145/2826972.2826976. S2CID 14908255.
  2. ^ Ventola, CL (October 2011). "Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: Therapeutic or Toxic?". P & T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management. 36 (10): 669–84. PMC 3278148. PMID 22346300.
  3. ^ "Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medication in New Zealand". New Zealand Medical Journal. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Lazarus, David (February 15, 2017). "Direct-to-consumer drug ads: A bad idea that's about to get worse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019.