In the latest salvo aimed against branded DTC advertising, the American Osteopathic Association has taken the stance that such marketing should be limited to “disease specific public health education.” The group, which represents approximately 50,000 osteopathic physicians, said ads should not be product specific in a resolution passed at its annual meeting in Chicago last weekend. AOA went a step further than the larger American Medical Association (AMA), which last month called for a comprehensive study of the issue of DTC advertising, citing concerns about the effects of the ads on the patient-physician relationship and healthcare costs.
Meanwhile, half of all Americans favor a ban on DTC advertising for new prescription drugs, according to a Harris Interactive survey sponsored by WSJ.com.
Asked if it was “a good idea to forbid direct-to-consumer advertising for new prescription drugs for some period of time” after approval, 51 percent of respondents to the online survey said yes and only 25 percent said no, with another 24 percent on the fence.