From Bryan Liang and Tim Mackey: Direct-to-Consumer Advertising With Interactive Internet Media

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=645713

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising With Interactive Internet MediaGlobal Regulation and Public Health Issues

Bryan A. Liang, MD, PhD, JD; Timothy Mackey, MAS

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is legal only in the United States and New Zealand and has been linked with drug overutilization, public health concerns, and higher costs.¹ Despite global proscriptions, DTCA is the most rapidly increasing form of pharmaceutical marketing, with approximately $4 billion in US expenditures, outpacing physician marketing and research and development.²

JAMA. 2011;305(8):824-825. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.203.