Nonetheless, a significant amount of studies focuses on the controversy of DTCA based upon the potentially greater ratio of risks to benefits. Analyses suggest that the main reason for the controversy surrounding DTCA is its potential influence in increasing the demand for prescription drugs and, subsequently, driving up drug spending. However, most studies conclude that more research is required on DTCA impact, whether negative to positive. Collectively, the literature encourages consumers and pharmacists to report suspected misleading promotional drug material to the FDA in order to ensure consumers only receive accurate, balanced and non-misleading drugs.
Although controversial, I believe DTCA has many positive effects on healthcare personals, patients, and the health-care systems. Similar to most written DTCA, a strength of the Citalopram’s advertisement is its ability to reach most Americans, within a given night, regardless of race, age, class or status because it’s publicized in a communal location: Giant Eagle. Given the understanding of literacy complications amongst underserved populations, the ad effectively informed the public of depression symptomology and treatments options while using limited medical terminology. Thus, creating …show more content…
However, since the targeted audience of MSL’s ad was middle age women, similar to most psychotropic advertisements, the advertisement implied that only older women experience depression, thus the ad excluded other sufferers. If DTCA’s goal is to increase public awareness of new treatment options and to inform the public, then the exclusion of possible sufferers is a significant weakens of the MSL’s ad and is a contrarian to what DTCA, in practice,