Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Oct;77(10):e1293-e1300.
doi: 10.4088/JCP.15r10325.

Effects of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising on Patient Prescription Requests and Physician Prescribing: A Systematic Review of Psychiatry-Relevant Studies

Sara J Becker  1   2   3 , Miriam M Midoun  2
Affiliations

Effects of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising on Patient Prescription Requests and Physician Prescribing: A Systematic Review of Psychiatry-Relevant Studies

Sara J Becker et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To systematically analyze the effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on patient requests for medication and physician prescribing across psychiatry-relevant studies.

Data sources: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Thomson Reuters' ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar were searched (1999-2014) using variations of the terms direct-to-consumer advertising and psychiatric. Reference lists and an online repository of DTCA manuscripts were also scrutinized.

Study selection: English-language studies collecting data at the point of service, focusing on or including psychiatric medication, and assessing the effects of DTCA on patient and/or physician behavior were included. Of 989 articles identified, 69 received full-text review. Four studies across 5 manuscripts met inclusion criteria.

Data extraction: Data were extracted on participants, study design, methodological quality, and results. Methodological quality of individual studies was assessed using adapted criteria from the Effective Public Health Practice Project. Confidence in conclusions across studies was determined using principles from the well-established GRADE system.

Findings: Due to lack of replication across strong randomized controlled trials (RCTs), no conclusions merited high confidence. With moderate confidence, we concluded that DTCA requests (1) are granted most of the time (1 RCT, 3 observational), (2) prompt higher prescribing volume (1 RCT, 1 observational), (3) promote greater adherence to minimally acceptable treatment guidelines for patients with depression (1 RCT), and (4) stimulate overprescribing among patients with an adjustment disorder (1 RCT).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that DTCA requests are typically accommodated, promote higher prescribing volume, and have competing effects on treatment quality. More methodologically strong studies are needed to increase confidence in conclusions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of Study Selection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cole CL. Viagra Gets Out of the Game. J Sport & Social Issues. 2007;31:101–2.
    1. Rosenthal MB, Berndt ER, Donohue JM, Frank RG, Epstein AM. Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:498–505. - PubMed
    1. IMS . Total US Promotional Spend by Type. IMS Health website; [Accessed June 17, 2015]. 2010. http://www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/imshealth/Global/Content/StaticFi....
    1. Staton T. Pharma's ad spending vaults to $4.5B, with big spender Pfizer leading the way. Fierce Pharma Marketing website; [Accessed June 17, 2015]. http://www.fiercepharmamarketing.com/story/pharmas-ad-spend-vaults-45b-b.... Updated March 25, 2015.
    1. Anonymous . Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising on Prescription Drug Spending. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; 2003.

Publication types

MeSH terms