Drugmakers ‘Defend’ Advertising at Senate Hearing

During a Senate Commerce Committee meeting concerning the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on pharmaceutical spending, the drug industry "defended" DTC ads as a means of informing individuals about potentially beneficial medicines, CongressDaily/AM reports. Dr. Gregory Glover, a physician-attorney speaking on behalf of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said, "Left sitting on the pharmacy shelf, medicines don't do anyone any good. Direct-to-consumer advertising provides a valuable resource for patients to obtain information about specific diseases, conditions and treatments, particularly in rural areas of the country where access to providers and health care information may be difficult." But Nancy Chockley, president of the National Institute for Health Care Management, said that an upcoming analysis of DTC ads for pharmaceuticals shows that "the most advertised drugs are driving increases in prescription drug expenditures." Nancy Ostrove of the FDA said that both arguments "have merit," but "questioned" Chockley's figures, stating that "it's hard to tease out the effect of DTC advertising on spending increases" because pharmaceutical companies "typically market drugs simultaneously to health care providers." Ostrove said that although DTC ads may promote "inappropriate prescribing" of some drugs, she added, "At this time there is no evidence that DTC advertising is harming the public health" (Fulton/Rovner, CongressDaily/AM, 7/25).