Ten years of pharmaceutical television advertisements have Pennsylvanians asking their docs about medications

A poll of Pennsylvania adults 10 years after the first direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical television advertisement ran suggests that nearly half of the participants have asked their doctor about a specific prescription drug or medical procedure they saw advertised.

According to The Patient Poll, conducted by the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine, 45 percent of Pennsylvania adults participating in the summer 2007 poll indicated that they have talked to their doctor about a specific drug and/or procedure that they saw advertised on television or in a magazine.

But, instead of getting upset about this situation, one physician says it's better for his colleagues to be prepared for questions.

"Most physicians are divided about whether or not pharmaceutical advertisements directed towards patients are good," said Dr. Peter Lund, founder of the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine. "Some say it's good to have patients informed, while others say it's bad because of induced demand and incorrect self-diagnosing. Our advice to Pennsylvania physicians is to be alert to what's being advertised and be prepared to answer questions since there's a good chance they'll be asked."

Although the Institute for Good Medicine says this is the first time The Patient Poll has studied this issue and thus it has no historical data to suggest patient trends, Dr. Lund points to a study published in the August 16, 2007, edition of The New England Journal of Medicine that suggests total spending on pharmaceutical promotion grew from $11.4 billion in 1996 to $29.9 billion in 2005. Real spending on direct-to-consumer advertising increased by 330 percent during those years.

"There's clear evidence that the pharmaceutical industry is spending more to promote medications," Dr. Lund, an Erie-Pa. urologist and incoming president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, says. "If it wasn't working for them, they wouldn't be pumping more money into that budget area."

While direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements can be traced back to 1981, the debate on advertising directly to patients accelerated within the medical community 10 years ago when the Food and Drug Administration changed policy to allow television advertisements directed towards patients.

"I don't know a physician who hasn't been asked by at least one patient about a specific drug they saw advertised," Dr. Lund says.

But, Dr. Lund also says that while patients are asking for certain prescription drugs, they realize that generic drugs may be available for some, and that they should be equally effective, according to two additional questions asked by The Patient Poll.

Nearly 62 percent of participants in the poll believe that brand drugs and their generic versions are about the same. And, 53 percent have asked their doctor to prescribe a generic instead of a brand name.

"Although generics may not be available as ads are being run for newer drugs, patients know that once a generic is available, it will likely do the same trick for less money," Dr. Lund says. "Still, however, they'll ask for a specific drug based upon what they remember seeing advertised."

The Patient Poll by the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Institute for Good Medicine was conducted in mid-July with the help of the Taylor Brand Group of Lancaster and Greenfield Online. It has a 5.05 percent margin of error and included responses from those older than 21 years of age throughout the state, representing a variety income levels. Nearly 88 percent of the participants carried some type of health insurance. The Patient Poll is designed to feel the pulse of Pennsylvanians on health care issues.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society has been working to enhance the patient-doctor relationship since 1848. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its Web site at www.pamedsoc.org, or to learn about Pennsylvania-specific health issues, visit the Medical Society's consumer Web site at www.myfamilywellness.org.