DTC ad spending in the first half of 2004 increased nearly 35 percent when compared with the same period last year, and nearly doubled since 2001, according to numbers released late last week by Nielsen Monitor Plus.
According to Nielsen, $2.2 billion was spent on DTC advertising from January-June 2004. That number is 35 percent more than the $1.6 billion spent from January-June 2003 and nearly double the $2.8 billion spent in all of 2001.
Fueled by the advertising that supported the recent launches of Levitra and Cialis, the Rx drug category was the fastest-growing in the January-June period, according to Nielsen.
Additionally, the prescription drug category was the second-largest in terms of dollars spent, with spending expected to continue to rise, according to Nielsen.
Overall, advertising spending in all categories rose 6.4 percent with total spending in all ten major categories reaching close to $19 billion.
