Building a better drug ad: Direct-to-consumer marketing

New AMA recommendations are designed to ensure that advertising is not misleading.

Editorial. July 24/31, 2006.

High cholesterol. Erectile dysfunction. Insomnia. Depression. Such conditions are just a few examples of the many health complaints now on consumers' radar. They also are the subject of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and devices either via TV and radio or news pages.

With DTC's proliferation -- the drug industry spent $4 billion on it in 2004 -- the serious questions about the phenomenon have taken on escalating importance.

Is DTC advertising educational? Does it maintain a fair balance in communicating a drug's or device's benefits and risks? What impact do DTC ads have on the doctor-patient relationship? How do the ads affect health care costs?

These matters were among the issues explored by the AMA in a beefed-up guidance issued last month at its Annual Meeting. The guidance, part of a Board of Trustees report, acknowledges that these ads are likely here to stay. Therefore, the goal is to make them better. By seeking to ensure that DTC ads are educational and not misleading, the AMA's recommendations are a step forward.

For instance, the Association urges that advertisements responsibly inform consumers about the drug or device and the disease it is meant to treat and provide objective, easily understood information about the medication's benefits and risks. The Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America advanced a similar set of principles last year. But the AMA report also offers specific insights regarding the subtle challenges involved in achieving them. It asserts that simply providing equal amounts of benefit and risk information is not enough.