Stuart Elliott: Madison Avenue Has Overdosed on Prescription Drug Ads

I long have sided with the advertising and media folks led by the Association of National Advertisers who advocate being able to readily advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers DTC drug ads really began to take off in 1997 when the Food and Drug Administration relaxed rules that made such peddling difficult if not impossible Now though I must part ways with Madison Avenue and urge that DTC drug ads be reconsideredMaybe it seemed like a good idea at the time in that DTC drug ads would encourage more interaction between doctors and patients The other major selling point was that DTC drug ads would help the public learn about new treatments they might not otherwise hear of without the megaphonic power of advertisingAt first they seemed useful or at least harmless And almost everyone enjoyed the many parodies that DTC drug ads spawned as comedians and even other advertisers sent up the format and the disclaimers warning about bizarre side effects such as quoterections lasting more than four hoursquotBut after tens of billions of dollars39 worth of DTC drug ads 48 billion last year alone Advertising Age estimates what else is there to point to Not much that39s positive I fear and some serious negativesBy all means don39t take my word for it The American Medical Association decided last month to call for a ban on DTC ads for medical devices as well as prescription drugs quotA growing proliferation of ads is driving demand for expensive treatments despite the clinical effectiveness of less costly alternativesquot the AMA said in a statementThat proliferation is evident to just about any American with eyes or ears In just the last few days I saw or heard DTC ads for these brands several of them multiple times Belsomra Breo Cialis Crestor Eliquis Humira Ibrance Januvia Jardiance Lyrica Opdivo Orencia Pradaxa Pristiq Prolia Tecfidera Trumenba Trulicity Viagra Xifaxan and Zecuity I don39t think I could ever win a game of Scrabble with the people who come up with those oddball names for prescription drugsMarketing costs play a role quotin fueling escalating drug pricesquot said Dr Patrice Harris board chairelect of the AMA and directtoconsumer drug advertising quotalso inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs even when these drugs may not be appropriatequotThe AMA sees cause and effect between all the DTC drug ads and what consumers spend at retail for prescription drugs which rose 122 percent last year from 2013 to reach a whopping 2977 billion according to an annual report from the federal Department of Health and Human Services The report suggests that sharply rising prescription drug prices help explain why health spending in this country more than 3 trillion in 2014 is growing faster than the economy againThe AMA39s decision is also significant because it represents a change of heart The organization originally was a supporter of DTC drug ads provided they are accurate and serve to educate consumersamp160amp160amp160amp160amp160If a reassessment by the nation39s doctors is not enough to elicit second thoughts about DTC drug ads here39s another reason It could assist the prescription drug industry in countering image problems as manufacturers such as Turing Pharmaceuticals Gilead Sciences and Valeant Pharmaceuticals give Ebenezer Scrooge and Henry Potter a run for their money at putting profits before peopleMartin Shkreli of Turing is likely to be grilled at a Senate committee hearing scheduled for Dec 9 on drastic price hikes for certain prescription drugs His penchant for publicity and for pushing the prices of prosaic pills into the stratosphere has earned him the moniker quotthe bad boy of pharmaceuticalsquot Other drug makers by advertising their own prescription drugs incessantly when the public is angry at the likes of Gilead and Turing run a risk of being tarred with the same brushI could buy an argument that an outright ban on DTC drug ads may be too much especially right away After all without those ads how could the broadcast networks present their nightly newscastsPerhaps to make a ban less of a bitter pill to swallow it could be phased in over a period of years Or the strictures could be selective as suggested by a law professor at Georgetown University David Vladeck he has proposed prohibiting DTC ads for two years after a drug39s arrival on the market Such compromise might fit the bill as outlined by Huey Lewis all those years ago when he wanted a new drug that quotwon39t make me feel too badquot and quotwon39t make me feel too goodquotThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Stuart Elliott: Madison Avenue Has Overdosed on Prescription Drug Ads

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