Health Affairs

Posting date: February 26, 2003

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w3.82
Copyright © 2003 by Project HOPE

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Consumers' Reports On The Health Effects Of Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising

Joel S. Weissman ^1*, David Blumenthal ², Alvin J. Silk ³, Kinga Zapert ⁴, Michael Newman ⁵, Robert Leitman ⁶

¹ Joel Weissman is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and the Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, all in Boston.
² David Blumenthal is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and the Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, all in Boston.
³ Alvin Silk is the Lincoln Filene Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, Harvard University.
⁴ Kinga Zapert is vice-president, Health Policy Research, Harris Interactive in New York City.
⁵ Michael Newman is a senior research manager at Harris Interactive in New York City.
⁶ Robert Leitman is division president, Health Care, at Harris Interactive in New York City.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

We conducted a national telephone survey about health care experiences associated with direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Among the 35 percent of our sample who had a physician visit during which DTCA was discussed, 25 percent received a new diagnosis, of which 43 percent were considered high priority according to authoritative sources. More than half also reported actions taken by their physician other than prescribing the advertised drug. Despite concerns about DTCA’s negative consequences, we found no differences in health effects between patients who took advertised drugs and those who took other prescription drugs.

Key Words: Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Pharmaceuticals, Physicians

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