Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20145

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Magazine

Floyd K
GPs have little faith in direct to consumer ads
New Zealand Doctor 1998 July 223

Full text:

Prescription drug advertising direct to consumers is not proving popular among GPs.

The latest IMS/New Zealand Doctor fax poll shows more than three-quarters of GPs surveyed feel confident in saying no to patients who demand inappropriate drugs, but a clear majority also believe direct advertising brings disharmony into the patient-doctor relationship and has no benefit for patients.

The poll shows 44 percent of GPs believe direct to consumer advertising should stop altogether and 31 percent want a decrease.

Just 7 percent want to see an increase while 16 percent believe advertising levels should remain the same.

Comments scribbled alongside the fax questions suggest direct to consumer advertising may be good for business, with patients seeking advice and clarification, but many GPs don’t need the hassle.

Consultations, with patients demanding drugs which are wrong for them, take longer and create ill will, with some GPs saying that patients go elsewhere to “find a GP who will comply with their wishes”.

Other GPs note that patients, when faced with all the information about a drug, usually make sound decisions for themselves.

Health and disability commissioner Robyn Stent, commenting on the results, says patients have the right to be informed and advertising helps ensure that.

“If (advertising) actually helps consumers participate in their health care and ask questions then it’s got to be a good thing”, Ms Stent says.

Debate on drug advertising hotted up with Roche’s launch of Xenical. Other advertised drugs included Flixotide (Parke Davis) and Renitec (Merck Sharp and Dome).

Health minister Bill English has signalled possible law changes to tighten advertising controls.

Recent US research on direct advertising also recorded a majority of physicians opposed to the trend, although the number opposed is lower than found here.

The IMS/New Zealand Doctor poll figures show 84 percent of GPs feel confident saying no to patients who want inappropriate drugs, against 7 percent who don’t feel confident saying no and 9 percent who don’t know.

Some 61 percent of GPs believe advertising create disharmony in the doctor-patient relationship, but just under a third (31 percent) believe there is no change.

Just 3 percent believe advertising creates harmony and 2 percent don’t know.

On benefit to patients, 62 percent believe there is none, against 29 percent who believe patients benefit and 9 percent who don’t know.

The poll, with 121 respondents from 400, had a margin of error ± 8.7 percent.