Value of direct-to-consumer advertisements questioned; Senate Committee hearing.(Practice Trends)

WASHINGTON -- Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is an educational service of great value to patients--or a venue for misleading statements designed solely to increase a drug's market share, depending on who you talk to.

Both sides were in evidence at a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising and its effect on patients. This issue is especially timely since Congress is currently negotiating passage of a Medicare prescription drug coverage bill, and taxpayers may goon be subsidizing seniors' drug costs, according to committee chair Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho).

"Although DTC advertising may not be the most expensive promotion drug companies do, it is the most visible," Sen. Craig said in opening the hearing. "The public has noticed the dramatic increase in advertising over the last few years, and many [people] tell us that they are concerned about it. As I look at the rising cost of prescription drugs, I can certainly understand their concern."

Physicians are concerned as well, he continued. "[Physicians] have told me that patients ... don't understand the risks associated with taking the drugs, or don't recognize other treatment options that may be available. I have had some doctors tell me that DTC advertisements negatively impact the doctor-patient relationship."

Witnesses at the hearing offered various opinions on the value of DTC ads. Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, noted that a 2002 FDA survey found that 40% of respondents who remembered seeing an ad for a prescription drug said that a drug advertisement had caused them to seek more information about the drug and their health. On the other hand, 75% of 500 physicians surveyed separately by the FDA said that DTC ads cause patients to think the drug works better than it actually does.

"Physicians may become frustrated when their time must be wasted correcting misperceptions," Dr. Woodcock said.

But Marjorie Powell, senior assistant general counsel for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), said that DTC ads perform a valuable service.