Consumers’ No. 1 reaction after seeing a DTC prescription drug ad is to seek more information about advertised treatments, according to a new survey released today. The findings are part of the 10th Annual National Survey on Consumer Reaction to DTC Pharmaceutical Advertising, which polled 1,500 US adult consumers in March and was conducted by the Rodale-published magazines Prevention, Men’s Health and Women’s Health with assistance from the FDA’s DDMAC. “Health information seeking for prescription drugs, is an ongoing process …so it doesn’t mean that people see an ad, run to the doctor’s office and everything’s over,” Cary Silvers, director of consumer and advertising trends at Rodale, told MM&M. “We are seeing consumer information seeking before they go to the doctor’s office, while they are getting the drug filled at drug store and we are seeing information seeking in 75% of people after they’ve gotten a new drug.” Other highlights from the survey included:*Most consumers (68%) claim they know a lot about their medical condition or illness, the benefits of the prescription medicines they take (67%), and the risks (59%). These numbers compare to only 2% of consumers who claim they are knowledgeable about investing, the survey said.*Even after a prescription is filled, the majority of surveyed consumers (75%) are still looking for information about their medications. Twenty-nine percent of these consumers find themselves stopping to read/watch an advertisement. *Only a small amount of surveyed consumers (8%) are stimulated to ask their doctor for a specific medication after seeing a DTC ad. *More consumers agree or somewhat agree (73%) that DTC ads allow people to be more involved with their healthcare. *A little more than half of consumers (56%) are currently taking a prescription drug. Ten years ago, 47% of consumers were. *Among the 36% of consumers who remember seeing any disease awareness ad, half (52%) say they have either talked with their doctor, a friend or family member or searched for additional information online.