Ask Your Doctor if This Ad Is Right for You How advertising promotes expensive drugs and treatments you may not need.
by Elisabeth Rosenthal
New York Times, 2.28.16
This is an extraordinarily important article that all should closely read. Here are some excerpts:
The health care industry spent $14 billion on advertising in 2014.
[It] encourages patients to seek out more expensive and, often, inappropriate treatment.
“Direct-to-consumer advertising also inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs, even when these drugs may not be appropriate.”
Worried patients are, of course, a great captive audience.
There is too much here to summarize. Hats off to Elisabeth Rosenthal for a necessary review. It’s a keeper.
(Some years ago an entertaining video on this topic appeared on the web. See: Progenitorivox)