A survey of patients at Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that 11% said ads for cancer-related drugs had made them less confident in their providers’ judgment.
Of the 348 respondents to the survey, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 86% were aware of DTC advertising, particularly TV spots (77%), with little variation across clinical or sociodemographic factors except that patients were more likely to be aware of products specific to their cancer types. Of those aware of ads, 17.3% said they’d talked to their healthcare provider about an advertised medication. Patient perceptions of DTC ads were favorable, particularly among non-college graduates.
From the September 01, 2009 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
