Pfizer’s New Advertising Campaign Directly Compares Its Migraine Treatment With Rival
Pfizer this week began an advertising campaign that directly compares its migraine drug Relpax with competitor GlaxoSmithKline's Imitrex, an advertising strategy that has been "largely avoided" by pharmaceutical companies, the Wall Street Journal reports. FDA officials have set strict guidelines for advertisers' claims. In order to make a direct comparison in an ad, a drug company must conduct two head-to-head clinical trials that "yield meaningful clinical results," and such an investment can be "long and costly," according to the Journal. Pfizer plans to spend $20 million on the Relpax print and radio campaign. Market research showed sales in 2003 for market leader Imitrex were $1.2 billion compared to $43 million for Relpax. Ad spending in 2003 for Imitrex exceeded $70 million, the Journal reports. Robert Grammatica, managing partner at Young & Rubicam Advertising said Pfizer's strategy could "force other companies to take the gloves off." GSK spokesperson Patty Seif said, "The Pfizer claim is evidently based on a study that used an altered form of our product," adding that GSK's studies do not support the claim. Dorothy Wetzel, Pfizer's vice president of consumer marketing in the United States, said, "We are seventh to market. We have to give consumers a reason to talk to their doctors about this drug." Jack Angel, executive director of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication, a not-for-profit group that promotes the free-speech rights of advertisers, said, "While Pfizer has every right to run truthful ads, the ads may draw more attention to the pharmaceutical industry, which is already being closely scrutinized by Congress" (Vranica, Wall Street Journal, 4/5).
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