Marketing a good or service is dramatically influenced by how the good or product is advertised to the public. With the advancement of technology the methods and mediums in which consumers are targeted are advancing exponentially (Donohue). Advertisements are the way producers promote their product through a medium. From tracking browser usage with cookies, an intangible tracker placed by websites, to correlating advertisements to a source of media each advertisement is made like a tailored suit for each consumer. These advertisements that come directly from a producer to a consumer are called Direct to Consumer Advertisements, DTC’s or DTCA’s. These advertisements can be beneficial by informing the public in some areas of business but can
…show more content…
The use of Direct to Consumer Advertisements for pharmaceuticals in the United States should be prohibited in order to protect consumers from rising costs of healthcare and misinformation that leads to overutilization.
With the evolution of advertising techniques, governments have tried to manage the manner in which medications are advertized to protect consumers. In 1906 the Pure Food and Drug Act was the first regulation passed by Congress to standardize drug companies. The Federal Trade Commission, FTC, in charge of advertisements in the United States, could not manage …show more content…
“81% of physicians agree (25% strongly; 56% somewhat) Direct- to-Consumer pharmaceutical advertising encourages drug overutilization” (“Majority of Physicians”). An overwhelming majority of physicians in a FDA survey say that DTC Advertisements encourage drug abuse. This is a growing problem the world faces as misuse of drugs can be fatal. “DTCPA has been criticized as contributing to the ‘medicalization’ of natural conditions, cosmetic issues, or trivial ailments, resulting in an overmedicated society. For this reason, some commentators have even referred to DTCPA as a threat to public health. One often-cited example is DTC ads for ED drugs, which seem to target men who may be experiencing normal variations in sexual performance. Studies show that only 10% of American men experience a total inability to achieve an erection. Therefore, many requests for ED drugs seem to be for occasional problems, which may actually be ‘normal.’ Similarly, DTC drug ads have also been criticized for redefining menopause as a hormone-deficiency disease rather than a normal midlife experience,” (Ventola). This results in average body functions and phenomena get placed into a category of “curable” by these advertisements, selling otherwise healthy people an unneeded drug. This can result in an overmedication of a population like the United States of New Zealand, the only two counties
The use of Direct to Consumer Advertisements for pharmaceuticals in the United States should be prohibited in order to protect consumers from rising costs of healthcare and misinformation that leads to overutilization.
With the evolution of advertising techniques, governments have tried to manage the manner in which medications are advertized to protect consumers. In 1906 the Pure Food and Drug Act was the first regulation passed by Congress to standardize drug companies. The Federal Trade Commission, FTC, in charge of advertisements in the United States, could not manage …show more content…
“81% of physicians agree (25% strongly; 56% somewhat) Direct- to-Consumer pharmaceutical advertising encourages drug overutilization” (“Majority of Physicians”). An overwhelming majority of physicians in a FDA survey say that DTC Advertisements encourage drug abuse. This is a growing problem the world faces as misuse of drugs can be fatal. “DTCPA has been criticized as contributing to the ‘medicalization’ of natural conditions, cosmetic issues, or trivial ailments, resulting in an overmedicated society. For this reason, some commentators have even referred to DTCPA as a threat to public health. One often-cited example is DTC ads for ED drugs, which seem to target men who may be experiencing normal variations in sexual performance. Studies show that only 10% of American men experience a total inability to achieve an erection. Therefore, many requests for ED drugs seem to be for occasional problems, which may actually be ‘normal.’ Similarly, DTC drug ads have also been criticized for redefining menopause as a hormone-deficiency disease rather than a normal midlife experience,” (Ventola). This results in average body functions and phenomena get placed into a category of “curable” by these advertisements, selling otherwise healthy people an unneeded drug. This can result in an overmedication of a population like the United States of New Zealand, the only two counties