WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs doesn't appear to have any negative health effects and may lead to new diagnoses for some people.
That's finding of a report issued on a special Web site by the journal Health Affairs.
The report was prepared by researchers from the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University and the market research firm Harris Interactive Inc.
The report found many people say direct-to-consumer advertising led them into discussions with their doctors, and those discussions had a variety of results. Because of the advertising, a number of people saw their doctors for important medical conditions, and some of those visits resulted in new diagnoses.
The study design didn't allow for any firm conclusions about the effect of this type of advertising on health outcomes. However, the report found no obvious short-term health effects linked to the advertising.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed drug advertising regulations in 1997. Since then, drug advertising targeted directly at consumers has grown radically, more than doubling in the three years following the rule changes.
This new report collected information through a national telephone survey of 3,000 adults. Among the respondents, 86 percent recalled seeing or hearing a pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer ad in the previous year and 35 percent said that advertising led them to have a discussion with their doctor.
Those discussions didn't focus solely on prescription drugs. They also included new medical concerns and possible changes in treatment.
Half of the people who had an advertising-prompted discussion with their doctor addressed an existing condition and a quarter of them received a new diagnosis. Many of those new diagnoses were for significant conditions such as arthritis, high cholesterol and diabetes.
As a result, 73 percent of the people received a new prescription -- not necessarily for the drugs featured in the ads -- and 13 percent were referred to a specialist. Others received lab tests, advice on lifestyle changes, or recommendations for over-the-counter medications.
More information
Here's where you can find a full copy of the report.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers consumer drug information.
