**For Immediate Release** 
>From Breast Cancer Action Montreal

Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising: How The Hype Can Hurt

Every industrial country except the United States and New Zealand prohibits 
direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs as a public 
health protection measure ­ and for good reason. Contrary to industry 
claims, drug ads are not educational. By definition, drug ads are inherently 
biased because, like all ads, they aim to sell products and maximize 
profits. Recent studies have found that drug companies in the US spend more 
than twice as much money on drug promotion and administration than on drug 
research and development. Direct-to-consumer advertising harms us all: it 
harms our health by generating misinformation, and it hurts our wallets by 
driving up the cost of drugs.

Ads foster loyalty to patented brand-name drugs even when cheaper generic 
equivalents are available. The 50 most frequently prescribed drugs in the 
US rose in price, on average, more than three times the rate of inflation in 
2001. The newest drugs are the most heavily promoted and, while often more 
expensive, are not necessarily any better or safer than older, less 
expensive drugs.

Large investments in promotion are clearly affecting patient attitudes and 
behavior as well as doctor prescribing practices. One Canadian study has 
found that patients often request advertised drugs and doctors tend to 
prescribe them despite their reservations about the appropriateness of the 
drug. A US study also found that one third of consumers asked their doctors 
for the drug they had seen advertised, and 44% of them received a 
prescription for it. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) opposes DTCA 
noting that it gets in the way of treatment by putting “an extra strain on 
doctors, who must take time to explain why the advertised drugs may be 
inappropriate.”

DTCA of prescription drugs is illegal in Canada, but Health Canada seems 
unwilling to enforce the law. In cities across Canada one can see 
billboards promoting Diane 35 for acne treatment or ads promoting Viagra for 
male sexual dysfunction. Further, Canadian patients and their doctors are 
exposed to ads through American TV, radio and magazines. Canadian doctors 
are also directly targeted by pharmaceutical advertising, influencing their 
prescribing practices and, in turn, the health of their patients ­ our 
health.

Learn more about pharmaceutical industry influence on health care in Canada 
and what you can do about it at our forthcoming event:

“Pills, Profits and Women’s Health”, a free informational evening sponsored 
by Breast Cancer Action Montreal, and hosted by CBC journalist, Michaëlle 
Jean.

Speakers include: 
Barbara Mintzes, a researcher at the Centre of Health Services and Policy 
Research at the University of British Columbia and leading expert on 
Direct-to-Consumer drug advertising; and

Claude St-George, a member of the Coalition Solidarité Santé, and co-author 
of “The Right to Healthcare”, an electoral guide for the current Quebec 
election campaign.

The event is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. There 
will be simultaneous translation in French and English.

Wednesday, April 9, 2003, 7:30pm 
Hall Building, Room H110, Concordia University 
1455 de Maisonneuve West, Montreal
For more information or interviews contact: 
Elana Wright, Publicist 
(514) 572-8556; [log in to unmask]

Breast Cancer Action Montreal (BCAM), is a member of Prevention First, a 
coalition of independent Canadian and American health organizations that is 
urging the public to be wary of reports that tout new drugs and drug 
combinations as breakthroughs in breast cancer prevention. www.bcam.qc.ca

This event has been endorsed by the Canadian Women’s Health Network, 
www.cwhn.ca


Mona Dupré-Ollinik, BSW, BA
Coordonatrice de liaison/Outreach Coordinator
Canadian Women's Health Network/Réseau canadien pour la santé des femmes
419, avenue Graham, Suite 203
Winnipeg (MB) R3C 0M3

Tel: (204) 942-5500 ext,/poste 13
Fax/Télécopieur: (204) 989-2355
Toll free/Numéro sans frais: 1-888-818-9172
www.cwhn.ca 
e-mail/courriel: [log in to unmask]

TTY 204-942-2806 
TTY toll free number 1-866-694-6367

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