Is Direct To Consumer Advertising Putting More Americans At Risk?
Even with the safety issues that have surfaced in the months following the demise of the Cox-2 inhibitor class, consumer support for drug advertising is consistent with the belief that the benefits of prescription drugs outweigh the risks associated with taking them. In the latest Ipsos survey, conducted in March 2005 among a U.S. representative sample of 1,000 adults 18+, 69% of respondents confirmed that they recognize the tradeoffs in safety versus risks when it comes to prescription drug use.
"Americans want as much information as they can obtain when it comes to managing their healthcare," says Fariba Zamaniyan, Vice President and spokesperson for Ipsos-Insight's health practice. "The privatized healthcare system in the U.S. further empowers consumers and patients to become a part of the decision-making process when it comes to the treatment of their respective chronic and episodic health needs.
"Advertising has become an accepted channel for communicating the availability of treatment alternatives including prescription drug solutions, which ultimately, presents the opportunity to pursue a choice of therapy. Given the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drug therapy, it's also no surprise that consumers want to have as much information as they can get and to be assured they know about all the options available for their healthcare since they're paying for it."
Consumers Keenly Aware Of Benefits vs. Risks
Cognizant of the benefit versus risk tradeoffs, consumers continue to demand assurance and renewed confidence in the accuracy and effectiveness of the drug approval process. Now more than ever before, consumers are informed and want more evidence to secure their trust in drug safety and the agencies that monitor them. Nine out of ten of the adults surveyed agree that the FDA should require drug manufacturers to conduct additional studies on the safety of prescription products once they are on the market.
"But, there's still a lot of work to do. Although supportive of drug advertising, adults in the U.S. need to be reassured of the objective of drug advertising and the benefits versus risks of the products being promoted," Zamaniyan said.
The majority of the respondents in the Ipsos survey most closely associate prescription drug advertising as "only a sales tool" and "annoying". Consumers least associate drug advertising with descriptors such as "trustworthy" and "believable." These beliefs may further be reinforced by the 53% who agree that drug ads are a key driver behind the rising cost of prescription medications. In fact, four in five adults agreed that prescription drug prices are one of the leading reasons behind the rising cost of health care. Nearly two thirds strongly believed this statement.
"What this begs for is more education, both from manufacturers as well as government," said Zamaniyan. "Given the nature of our society, Americans want advertising because they expect to be informed by any medium that is feasible and easy to understand. In addition to providing disease education, the public expects drug manufacturers and their governing agencies to make them well informed of the drug discovery process and the availability of treatment alternatives to achieve positive health outcomes and support longevity. Advertising enables this execution with its broad reach."
"It's also clear that Americans want drug companies to address their growing concerns of rising drug costs. Perhaps the most immediate response by manufacturers is an aggressive communications initiative to provide details and direction in language that is easy to understand, about the variety of discount programs currently available to patients in need which are not exclusive to the senior population" further stated Zamaniyan.
Survey Methodology
Data for this report was gathered from March 9 to 11, 2005. Respondent interviews were conducted among a representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults 18+ years of age nationwide using Ipsos U.S. Express, a telephone omnibus survey. The study was conducted and paid for by Ipsos.
For more information on this press release, please contact: Fariba Zamaniyan
Vice President Ipsos-Insight Health 646.313.7657About Ipsos-Insight Health Ipsos-Insight, the flagship marketing research division of Ipsos in the U.S., has industry specialists serving companies in the following categories: consumer products; health and pharmaceutical; financial services; technology and communications; cable, media and entertainment; agrifood; energy and utilities; and lottery and gaming.
Ipsos-Insight Health represents the pharmaceutical practice within this division of Ipsos, which provides custom and syndicated research to prescription and non-prescription drug manufacturers as well as biotech and healthcare providers. Ipsos-Insight Health's innovative research techniques and vast global resources support you in charting the course for successful market entry and category leadership for your brands. We specialize in sizing the market potential for new prescription drug introductions, branding and communication as well as in-market performance monitoring.
To learn more, please visit www.ipsos-insight.com/health.
Ipsos Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.
Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.
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