Essay about Direct To Consumer Pharmacuetical Advertising

The Misleading Truth About Pharmaceutical Advertisements nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Is a patient at liberty to diagnose his or her own affliction? If so, are they also qualified enough to know the right medication and take into consideration the drugs adverse effects? With the recent onset of direct to consumer advertising for prescription drugs, this is becoming the case. In 1994, expenditures on direct to consumer advertisements were about twenty-five-million a year. By 1998 that figure changed to about 225 million (Sasich 2). Turn on the TV, there they are. Open your favorite magazine, there they are again. Listen to the radio, congratulations, you’ve found another ad for the latest prescription drug. Rush down to your local†¦show more content†¦If no one needs it, no one will buy it. Is this an industry that should be allowed to create this type of demand? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;To fully understand the suggestiveness in these ads, you have to look at what they imply. In a magazine ad for Effexor, a drug for depression or generalized anxiety disorder, it clearly states in large wording, â€Å"I got my playfulness back.† There is a picture of a woman holding her baby and the wording is in handwriting as if she was the one who wrote it. In the ad she is looking just as playful as the baby in diapers. It makes you think, are you as playful as that baby? You must have depression, as nothing else could possibly explain your sudden loss of child-like playfulness. It is ads like this that are the most disturbing. I think it is relatively established that any normal functioning adult will mature with age. But this ad targets anyone who has grown into a mature, normal adult and stamps it as depression. If this wasn’t bad enough, it gets worse. In a magazine ad for Celexa, another drug for depression, it clearly states in large print â€Å"For depression, Celexa, effective first line therapy with a favorable side-effect profile.† It goes on to list four favorable aspects of the drug. On the back, they are forced by the FDA to list the drug’s adverse effects. There is an entire page in three or four point print arranged in three columns speaking of the drugs adverseShow MoreRelatedApply Porter 5 forces to IBM10304 Words   |  42 Pagesannually for RD, in order to constantly introduce new high-technology and innovative products and solutions to market to maintain its competitiveness,Tougher for new entrants to achieve economies of scale due to experience curve effect. In addition, Consumers preference over established brands, long-term relationship and broad product portfolio make IBM the preferred brand. 2.Threat of SubstitutesPropensity to substitute is low for buyers. Threat varies from low to medium with high switching cost and