Business Research SynopsisIntroductionThis research project paper discusses the Direct-To-Customer Advertising (DTCA) of Pharmaceutical Products: Issue Analysis and Direct-To-Consumer Promotion. This synopsis defines the research, states it purpose, explains the problem, identifies the parties involved, and describes the methods used to conduct the research.Definition of the Business Research and Its PurposeThe purpose of this study was to conduct an issue analysis of DTCA. It examined the development and growth, as well as the political, economic, and public health impact of DTCA emergence in the United States.Explanation of the Business Problem under InvestigationThe DTCA has becom ...view middle of the document...
The time-line for DTCA started in 1981 with the first DTCA for the prescription drug 'Rufen. By 2001 more than 100 prescription drugs were advertised through all forms of media. In 2004 the FDA released guidelines that allowed drugs for "erectile dysfunction" to be advertised during the Super Bowl while the drug Vioxx was being pulled from the market for health risk concerns. In 2005 Pfizer pulled all the ads for Celebrex after the FDA warned that the benefits from this drug were misleading. Some believe that these laws benefit the consumers by keeping them informed about new medications, especially the elderly (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002).Recent reports by the General Accounting Office stated that advertising expenditures by pharmaceutical companies grew 74% between 1997 and 2001 (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002). The FDA set a loose set of guidelines in 1997, thus setting off a period of growth for DTCA. Research has indicated a decrease in chartbuster drugs, but noted that nine of the top ten most requested drugs in the United States were DTCA promoted (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002).The amount of money for health care advertising has grown to $25 billion annually. Four billion dollars in advertising was an increase that is fifteen times as much as in the last fifteen years. Product claim ads are the most informative and the most regulated. The ads must mention the drug's name, what it treats, the side effects, and the benefits (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002). There are pros and cons about DTCA. On the pro side, the physician's time to inform patients about drug interactions can be alleviated by advertisements. Thus, there has been an increase in the introduction of new medicines. On the con side, physicians are noting that patients are requesting DTCA advertised drugs and not listening to what he or she may really need. The claim that drug companies are spending more on advertising than on side effects is another issue. Some drugs do not seem to have long-term side effects, so the drug is rushed to be advertised, only to be pulled from the market after wide exposure (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002).Doctors still prefer to be the ones that give out the information on medications, but also found that DTCA advertising was having a positive effect on the patients (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002). On the other hand, physicians felt like the patients were demanding drugs because of the advertising and prescribed these drugs against their better judgment (Richardson & Luchsinger, 2002). The findings of that study showed that consumers looked at DTCA advertising in a favorable light. Symptoms were inclu...
