Direct-to-consumer promotion

Pines, Wayne L. 1999. A History and Perspective on Direct-to-Consumer Promotion. Food and Drug Law Journal 54 489-518. 

Except in the United States of America and New Zealand, where direct to consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medicines is allowed, companies are not allowed to communicate directly with patients. The Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPl) Code of Practice has been relaxed a little in this area in recent years and companies can now communicate in a very limited fashion with the general public. Clause 20.2 of the Code allows the provision of non-promotional information either in response to a direct enquiry from an individual or via press conferences, press announcements, lectures and media reports, public relations activities and the like. 

A recent innovation has been direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug promotion in the broadcast media. Because FDA regulations require a summary of the entire approved package insert to appear with any prescription drug advertisement, it was extremely difficult to use radio or television advertising for this purpose. Most consumer advertising for prescription drugs was therefore limited to the print... 

The growth of managed care and formulary compliance might also have played a role. This change in the health care landscape was perceived by many in the pharmaceutical industry as putting added downward pressure on drug prices. Direct appeal to health care professionals was not regarded by pharmaceutical companies as incrementally effechve as it had once been. Promotions directly to consumers represented another way to reach the consumer. 

Table 26.1 Spending on Direct-to-Consumer and on Promotion to Health Care Professionals in the U.S. as a Percentage of Pharmaceutical Company Sales...

Wolfe SM. Direct-to-consumer advertising education or emotion promotion. N. Engl. J. Med. 2002 346(7) 524-526. 

Rosenthal MB, Bemdt ER, Donohue JM, Frank RG, Epstein AM. Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers. N. Engl. J. Med. 2002 346(7) 498-505. Lipsky MS, Taylor CA. The opinions and experiences of family physicians regarding direct-to-consumer.. Earn. Pract. 1997 15 495M99. 

Why do individuals seek alternative medicine Many individuals are seeking health promotion and disease prevention and believe that the natural way may be the best. For many people, conventional therapies may not be available or ineffective or may carry significant risk that the user may not be willing to accept. Some have tried several conventional therapies without relief and look to alternative medicine as the only remaining option. Additionally, extensive direct to consumer advertising and limited regulatory oversight have fueled the expansion of the alternative medicine industry. 

Mintzes, Influence of Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Rosenthal, Promotion of Prescription Drugs to Consumers. ... 

To protect its 745 roil. Cardizem franchise, Marion Merrell Dow apparently intends to follow a strategy similar to the one Pfizer used to protect its nifedipine franchise from generics with sustained-release Procardia XL. Pfizer s strategy called for discounting the new generation product by 25 percent and promoting the price savings directly to consumers. Pfizer told analysts last fail that Procardia XL accounted for nearly two-thirds of all Procardia scripts one year after its launch in October 1989 ( The Pink Sheet nov. 5, p. 8). 

Coupons offer buyers price reductions at the point of sale (most often at a retail checkout counter). Coupons are made available to consumers in a variety of ways. Some can be cUpped from daily newspaper ads for supermarkets some come as colorful freestanding inserts in Sunday newspapers and some are distributed as fliers to homes within a store s immediate vicinity. Coupons are also mailed directly to consumers, often in booklets or packets assembled by distributors or companies speciahzing in such promotions. Finally, in-pack and on-pack coupons may be affixed to the product and allow savings on the current or a future purchase. 

Cosmetics are products created by the cosmetic industry and marketed directly to consumers. The cosmetic industry is dominated by manufacturers of finished products, but also includes manufacturers who sell products to distributors as well as suppliers of raw and packaging materials. Cosmetics represent a large group of consumer products designed to improve the health, cleanliness, and physical appearance of the human exterior and to protect a body part against damage from the environment. Cosmetics are promoted to the public and are available without prescription. 

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