**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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