Doctors call for an outright ban on US drug advertising
Doctors in the US are urging politicians to implement an outright ban on advertising prescription drugs and medical devices to consumers amidst fears that patients may be unduly influenced into demanding more expensive treatments which may not be as effective.
The American Medical Association warns that marketing activities are driving up the cost of drugs with board chair-elect Patrice Harris saying: “Direct-to-consumer advertising also inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs, even when those drugs may not be appropriate.”
Over the last two years pharmaceutical firms spend on advertising has increased by 30 per cent to reach $4.5bn, driven by glitzy TV advertising campaigns for everything from lung cancer medicine to Hepatitis C treatment.
Currently the US and New Zealand are the only countries in which drug giants are allowed to advertise directly to patients with the former permitting it as a form of commercial free speech enshrined in the US constitution.
Change may be in the air however as Democratic front-runner Hilary Clinton has proposed ending tax incentives by preventing drug firms from deducting advertising spend from their tax bills.