Fw: [Power Hour II] Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With Prescription Drug Advertising

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With

Prescription Drug Advertising

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14899#

Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With Prescription

Drug Advertising

13 Oct 2004

With Merck's recent withdrawal of arthritis medication Vioxx from

the market, " prescription drug promotions of all kinds -- the celebrity pitches,

the glossy television and magazine ads, the freebies to doctors -- are likely to

come under new scrutiny as patients, researchers and consumer groups question

both their honesty and their ultimate public cost, " the Philadelphia Inquirer

reports.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising " helped boost Vioxx

sales to astounding heights, " with Merck spending $49 million on ads for the

drug from January through July, according to the Inquirer.

Between 1996 -- the year prior to FDA's relaxing of TV and radio

prescription drug ad rules -- and 2003, the drug industry's direct-to-consumer

ad spending increased from $791 million to $3.2 billion, according to IMS

Health, the Inquirer reports.

In 2003, industry promotional spending, including consumer

advertising, no-cost drug samples, " educational " trips and drug representative

visits to physicians, totaled $25 billion. During roughly the same period,

prescription drug expenses increased two to five times more than spending on

hospital care and physician services, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Connection Between Ad Spending, Consumer Buying

Some critics say that it is " no coincidence ... that as promotional

spending soars, so does spending on drugs -- by consumers who are both paying

higher drug prices and being encouraged to buy drugs they never used before, "

the Inquirer reports (Vrazo, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/10).

Many physicians say that when a patient requests a prescription drug

by name, they are " unlikely to say no ... as long as it does not seem wholly

inappropriate for the condition, " partly because they are " too pressed for time "

to explore alternatives and " do not want to alienate patients who can take their

business elsewhere, " the New York Times reports. , a family physician

in California, said that some patients also favor prescription drugs over OTC

medications because health plans generally cover prescriptions.

Presidential Candidates' Positions

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kerry's (Mass.) campaign

" blames the ad-driven demand for pushing up spending on pricey drugs, which

contribute to double-digit inflation in the nation's health care costs, " the

Times reports.

Hauck, deputy policy director for President Bush's re-election

campaign, said Democrats are " exaggerating the issue " because a 2002 Government

Accountability Office report found the drug industry spent " far more " on no-cost

drug samples than on direct-to-consumer ads, according to the Times.

Changes in Regulations Proposed

FDA is considering a proposal to allow drug makers to simplify

magazine and newspaper ads to make them " more reader-friendly, " according to the

Times. Under the proposal, drug companies would be able to summarize the most

important or most common side effects in large type; currently, they must list

detailed data about benefits and risks, which are often printed in small type

(Elliott/Ives, New York Times, 10/12).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Save time! Get the latest medical news in your email every week with

our newsletter.

Send your press releases to pressrelease@...

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With

Prescription Drug Advertising

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14899#

Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With Prescription

Drug Advertising

13 Oct 2004

With Merck's recent withdrawal of arthritis medication Vioxx from

the market, " prescription drug promotions of all kinds -- the celebrity pitches,

the glossy television and magazine ads, the freebies to doctors -- are likely to

come under new scrutiny as patients, researchers and consumer groups question

both their honesty and their ultimate public cost, " the Philadelphia Inquirer

reports.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising " helped boost Vioxx

sales to astounding heights, " with Merck spending $49 million on ads for the

drug from January through July, according to the Inquirer.

Between 1996 -- the year prior to FDA's relaxing of TV and radio

prescription drug ad rules -- and 2003, the drug industry's direct-to-consumer

ad spending increased from $791 million to $3.2 billion, according to IMS

Health, the Inquirer reports.

In 2003, industry promotional spending, including consumer

advertising, no-cost drug samples, " educational " trips and drug representative

visits to physicians, totaled $25 billion. During roughly the same period,

prescription drug expenses increased two to five times more than spending on

hospital care and physician services, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Connection Between Ad Spending, Consumer Buying

Some critics say that it is " no coincidence ... that as promotional

spending soars, so does spending on drugs -- by consumers who are both paying

higher drug prices and being encouraged to buy drugs they never used before, "

the Inquirer reports (Vrazo, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/10).

Many physicians say that when a patient requests a prescription drug

by name, they are " unlikely to say no ... as long as it does not seem wholly

inappropriate for the condition, " partly because they are " too pressed for time "

to explore alternatives and " do not want to alienate patients who can take their

business elsewhere, " the New York Times reports. , a family physician

in California, said that some patients also favor prescription drugs over OTC

medications because health plans generally cover prescriptions.

Presidential Candidates' Positions

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kerry's (Mass.) campaign

" blames the ad-driven demand for pushing up spending on pricey drugs, which

contribute to double-digit inflation in the nation's health care costs, " the

Times reports.

Hauck, deputy policy director for President Bush's re-election

campaign, said Democrats are " exaggerating the issue " because a 2002 Government

Accountability Office report found the drug industry spent " far more " on no-cost

drug samples than on direct-to-consumer ads, according to the Times.

Changes in Regulations Proposed

FDA is considering a proposal to allow drug makers to simplify

magazine and newspaper ads to make them " more reader-friendly, " according to the

Times. Under the proposal, drug companies would be able to summarize the most

important or most common side effects in large type; currently, they must list

detailed data about benefits and risks, which are often printed in small type

(Elliott/Ives, New York Times, 10/12).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Save time! Get the latest medical news in your email every week with

our newsletter.

Send your press releases to pressrelease@...

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With

Prescription Drug Advertising

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14899#

Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With Prescription

Drug Advertising

13 Oct 2004

With Merck's recent withdrawal of arthritis medication Vioxx from

the market, " prescription drug promotions of all kinds -- the celebrity pitches,

the glossy television and magazine ads, the freebies to doctors -- are likely to

come under new scrutiny as patients, researchers and consumer groups question

both their honesty and their ultimate public cost, " the Philadelphia Inquirer

reports.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising " helped boost Vioxx

sales to astounding heights, " with Merck spending $49 million on ads for the

drug from January through July, according to the Inquirer.

Between 1996 -- the year prior to FDA's relaxing of TV and radio

prescription drug ad rules -- and 2003, the drug industry's direct-to-consumer

ad spending increased from $791 million to $3.2 billion, according to IMS

Health, the Inquirer reports.

In 2003, industry promotional spending, including consumer

advertising, no-cost drug samples, " educational " trips and drug representative

visits to physicians, totaled $25 billion. During roughly the same period,

prescription drug expenses increased two to five times more than spending on

hospital care and physician services, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Connection Between Ad Spending, Consumer Buying

Some critics say that it is " no coincidence ... that as promotional

spending soars, so does spending on drugs -- by consumers who are both paying

higher drug prices and being encouraged to buy drugs they never used before, "

the Inquirer reports (Vrazo, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/10).

Many physicians say that when a patient requests a prescription drug

by name, they are " unlikely to say no ... as long as it does not seem wholly

inappropriate for the condition, " partly because they are " too pressed for time "

to explore alternatives and " do not want to alienate patients who can take their

business elsewhere, " the New York Times reports. , a family physician

in California, said that some patients also favor prescription drugs over OTC

medications because health plans generally cover prescriptions.

Presidential Candidates' Positions

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kerry's (Mass.) campaign

" blames the ad-driven demand for pushing up spending on pricey drugs, which

contribute to double-digit inflation in the nation's health care costs, " the

Times reports.

Hauck, deputy policy director for President Bush's re-election

campaign, said Democrats are " exaggerating the issue " because a 2002 Government

Accountability Office report found the drug industry spent " far more " on no-cost

drug samples than on direct-to-consumer ads, according to the Times.

Changes in Regulations Proposed

FDA is considering a proposal to allow drug makers to simplify

magazine and newspaper ads to make them " more reader-friendly, " according to the

Times. Under the proposal, drug companies would be able to summarize the most

important or most common side effects in large type; currently, they must list

detailed data about benefits and risks, which are often printed in small type

(Elliott/Ives, New York Times, 10/12).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Save time! Get the latest medical news in your email every week with

our newsletter.

Send your press releases to pressrelease@...

[Guest guest]

[Power Hour II] Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With

Prescription Drug Advertising

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=14899#

Vioxx Withdrawal Highlights Potential Problems With Prescription

Drug Advertising

13 Oct 2004

With Merck's recent withdrawal of arthritis medication Vioxx from

the market, " prescription drug promotions of all kinds -- the celebrity pitches,

the glossy television and magazine ads, the freebies to doctors -- are likely to

come under new scrutiny as patients, researchers and consumer groups question

both their honesty and their ultimate public cost, " the Philadelphia Inquirer

reports.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising " helped boost Vioxx

sales to astounding heights, " with Merck spending $49 million on ads for the

drug from January through July, according to the Inquirer.

Between 1996 -- the year prior to FDA's relaxing of TV and radio

prescription drug ad rules -- and 2003, the drug industry's direct-to-consumer

ad spending increased from $791 million to $3.2 billion, according to IMS

Health, the Inquirer reports.

In 2003, industry promotional spending, including consumer

advertising, no-cost drug samples, " educational " trips and drug representative

visits to physicians, totaled $25 billion. During roughly the same period,

prescription drug expenses increased two to five times more than spending on

hospital care and physician services, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Connection Between Ad Spending, Consumer Buying

Some critics say that it is " no coincidence ... that as promotional

spending soars, so does spending on drugs -- by consumers who are both paying

higher drug prices and being encouraged to buy drugs they never used before, "

the Inquirer reports (Vrazo, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/10).

Many physicians say that when a patient requests a prescription drug

by name, they are " unlikely to say no ... as long as it does not seem wholly

inappropriate for the condition, " partly because they are " too pressed for time "

to explore alternatives and " do not want to alienate patients who can take their

business elsewhere, " the New York Times reports. , a family physician

in California, said that some patients also favor prescription drugs over OTC

medications because health plans generally cover prescriptions.

Presidential Candidates' Positions

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kerry's (Mass.) campaign

" blames the ad-driven demand for pushing up spending on pricey drugs, which

contribute to double-digit inflation in the nation's health care costs, " the

Times reports.

Hauck, deputy policy director for President Bush's re-election

campaign, said Democrats are " exaggerating the issue " because a 2002 Government

Accountability Office report found the drug industry spent " far more " on no-cost

drug samples than on direct-to-consumer ads, according to the Times.

Changes in Regulations Proposed

FDA is considering a proposal to allow drug makers to simplify

magazine and newspaper ads to make them " more reader-friendly, " according to the

Times. Under the proposal, drug companies would be able to summarize the most

important or most common side effects in large type; currently, they must list

detailed data about benefits and risks, which are often printed in small type

(Elliott/Ives, New York Times, 10/12).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org

Save time! Get the latest medical news in your email every week with

our newsletter.

Send your press releases to pressrelease@...