Reports on DTC Marketing

• February 23, 2004. Andrew R. Robinson et. al. Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 164 No. 4. irect-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: Physician and Public Opinion and Potential Effects on the Physician-Patient Relationship.
• February 26, 2003. Joel S. Weissman, David Blumenthal, Alvin J. Silk, Kinga Zapert, Michael Newman, and Robert Leitman in the Journal of Health Affairs. Consumers’ Reports On The Health Effects Of Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising. [Note: this is NOT related to Consumer Reports magazine. Its publsher, Consumers Union, opposes Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising.]
  • Abstract.
  • Press Release.
• February, 2003. Report to the Prime Minister of New Zealand from the Departments of General Practice at Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland Schools of Medicine. Direct to Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs in New Zealand: For Health Or Profit?
• October 28, 2002. U.S. General Accounting Office. FDA Oversite of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Has Limitations.
• October 3, 2002. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America. Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Strengthens Our Healthcare System.
• July, 2002. Families USA. Profiting From Pain: Where Do Prescription Drug Dollars Go?
• February 14, 2002. Meredith B. Rosenthal, Ph.D., Ernst R. Berndt, Ph.D., Julie M. Donohue, B.A., Richard G. Frank, Ph.D., and Arnold M. Epstein, M.D. in the New England Journal of Medicine. Promotion of Prescription Drugs to Consumers.
  • Abstract
  • Harvard University press release. Direct-To-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs Grows Rapidly but Remains a Small Share of Promotional Efforts.
• September, 2000. National Institute of Health Care Management. Prescription Drugs and Mass Media Advertising.

• Health Action International Europe's Campaign on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Medicines.
• Commercial Alert Page on Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertising.
• 2003, first quarter. Bob Burton and Andy Rowell for PR Watch. From Patient Activism to Astroturf Marketing.
• February 25, 2003. Commercial Alert press release. Keep Drug-Sponsored “Patient Channel” Out of Hospitals, Doctors Say.
• October 24, 2002. Health Action International press release. European Parliament soundly rejects move towards direct-to-consumer advertising.
• March 6, 2000. World Chiropractic Alliance. Drug ads can be harmful to your health.

• April 7, 2004. Press release from Cutting Edge Info announcing new report. R&D-Commercialization Relationship Determines Early Development Success.
• January 13, 2004. Press release from Cutting Edge Info announcing new report. 'Flanking Generics' Enables Drug Companies to Retain Market Share, Keep Manufacturing Facilities Open.
• December 4, 2003. Excerpt from the Executive Summary of a report by BenchmarkingReports.com, a service of Best Practices LLP. Launching Pharmaceutical Megabrands: Best Practices in Marketing Blockbusters.
• November 3, 2003. Pharmaceutical Exectutive Magazine. To reach blockbuster status (more than $3 billion in annual sales) products must have most or all of the following characteristics...

• Medical Journals

  • March 22, 2003. Jeanne Lezner for the British Medical Journal. Whistleblower charges drug company with deceptive practices.
  • February 22, 2003. Fabio Turone for the British Medical Journal. Italian police investigate GSK Italy for bribery.
  • December 31, 2002. Brian Vastag for the Journal of the American Medical Association. Misleading Advertisements.
  • June 15, 2002. Mark Hunter Leeds for the British Medical Journal. UK consumers reject direct advertising to patients by drug industry.
  • October 6, 1999. Philip R. Alper, MD ,University of California at San Francisco. Letter to the Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: Education or Anathema?

  Mainstream Press

  • July 1, 2004. Editorial by Knight-Ridder. Pay to prescribe.
  • June 27, 2004. Gardiner Harris for the New York Times. As Doctors Write Prescriptions, Drug Company Writes a Check.
  • June 23, 2004. Daren Fonda and Barbara Kiviat for Time. Curbing The Drug Marketers.
  • January 20, 2004. Dan Shapiro for the New York Times. Drug Companies Get Too Close for Med School's Comfort.
  • January 5, 2004. Antony Barnett for the London Observer. How drug firms 'hoodwink' medical journals: Pharmaceutical giants hire ghostwriters to produce articles - then put doctors' names on them.
  • December 15, 2003. Carl Elliot for Slate. Not-So-Public Relations: How the drug industry is branding itself with bioethics.
  • December 13, 2003. Associated Press. Feds subpoena Johnson & Johnson over marketing.
  • June 7, 2003. Fred Charatan for the British Medical Journal. Schering-Plough is accused of overcharging and of obstructing justice.
  • May 30, 2003. Melody Petersen for the New York Times. Court Papers Suggest Scale of Drug's Use.
  • March 31, 2003. Anthony Schoettle for the Indianapolis Business Journal. NFL opens arms to drugmakers - Policy change over sponsorships may lead to marketing union between Colts, Eli Lilly.
  • February, 2003. Cosumer Report Magazine. Free rein for drug ads? A slowdown in FDA review has left consumers more vulnerable to misleading messages.
  • February 27, 2003. Duncan Bridgeman for the New Zealand Business Review. Drug firms slam DTC report.
  • February 24, 2003. Duncan Bridgeman for the New Zealand Business Review. Doctored Research Behind Drugs Ad-Ban Lobby.
  • February 19, 2003. Jeremy Kahn for Fortune Magazine. Is There a Cure for Cancer Ads? A TV campaign for breast cancer gene tests has doctors alarmed.
  • February 18, 2003. Massey University News. Prescription drug advertising has benefits say health professionals.
  • January 3, 2003. BBC News. Do We Need Lifestyle Drugs?
  • January 3, 2002. Op-ed by Erin Marcus (Miami University School of Medicine) in the New York Times. When TV Commercials Play the Doctor.
  • December 27, 2002. Bloomberg News. Companies, insurers decry incentive curbs.
  • December 26, 2002. Robert Pear for the New York Times. Drug Makers Battle Plan to Curb Rewards for Doctors.
  • December 15, 2002. Alex Kuczynski for the New York Times. Treating Disease With A Famous Face.
  • November 21, 2001. Melody Petersen for the New York Times. Increased Spending on Drugs Is Linked to More Advertising.

• June 27, 2003. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Greater Consumer Awareness of Drug Companies' Dealings with Doctors Proposed.
• March 26, 2003. Dr. Srinivas Tata. Letter to E-Drug on drug patents, mktg and gov policies in poor countries.