why do pharmaceuticals advertise directly to patients? whatever happened to your D.R making the diagnosis?

Question

advair, sigular, ect..
why are they advertisting to us?

Answer 1

They want to create awareness and demand for the medication, so the patients will request them from their doctors.

I work at a medical clinic, and the doctors don't like it at all. Some people decide from a commercial that they want a certain medication, but it's not appropriate for them. The doctor has a hard time convincing them that they shouldn't take it. This takes up a lot of the doc's time these days!

Answer 2

Because the federal government began allowing it a few years ago.

One catch - if you mention the benefits you must mention the side effects.

So if you see a commercial for a prescription drug and they just repeat the name and say things like "ask your doctor if it's right for you" but never say what the hell it's for that's a dead giveaway that the side effects are absolutely nasty, so nasty that they know no one would want it if they heard the side effects a few times.

Another warning. People think that if a new drug is marketed that means it is better than other drugs already on the market. Not necessarily! Before they can say it helps with a problem they must prove that, but they needn't prove it is better than other alternatives already available. Similarly being prescription versus over-the-counter is not an indication of being more effective, nor is being more expensive.

Answer 3

Pharmaceutical companies are going around the physicians to the patients (consumers) to pitch their product because the patient will then put pressure on his/her Dr. to prescribe the specific drug. It is called "direct to consumer marketing". Large laboratories do this as well.
Marsha

Answer 4

I've wondered that my self. Irritating isn't it? The docs. all ready got the medications in the office,courtesy of the drug companies. But If you mention the drug to them , they are more apt to let you try them and see how you do on them. It's a little extra push by you and me to help sell their product. And remember, doctors watch t.v. too.

Answer 5

These are my same thoughts. I believe they should save the advertisements for medical books and lower the price of medication. It has to cost a fortune to advertise.

Answer 6

to get our over medicated, anxious population riled up and pestering their physicians with their over- zealous self-diagnoses

(thought the industry would say its to encourage consumer information-seeking and knowledge of symptoms/conditions/treatment that wld then improve patient-physician communication)