
Medical Marketing in the United States, 1997-2016 - el_duderino
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2720029
======
zoeysaurusrex
I would love to see pharmacy advertising banned from television and streaming
services during certain times of the day. I would also love to see the same
advertising banned on billboards. If [1]this is true, we are exposed, on
average, to 5000 advertisements a day.

Pharma advertising culture has lead us (in America) to become a culture of
self-diagnosers and a culture where we don’t want to be exposed to any emotion
or pain. This is not to say that drugs are bad, because they have amazing uses
in the world. I know many people that benefit from antidepressants,
antipsychotics, and so-called illegal substances to be functioning members of
society, but along with that, I know plenty of people who have been taught by
the big shiny box that they don’t need to feel the pain of a loved ones death,
or a bad breakup.

I find this woman’s account of going through a hysterectomy in Germany to be
enlightening when compared to our own culture.

[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/27/opinion/sunday/surgery-
ge...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/27/opinion/sunday/surgery-germany-
vicodin.html)

[1] [https://stopad.io/blog/ads-seen-daily](https://stopad.io/blog/ads-seen-
daily)

~~~
howard941
> I know plenty of people who have been taught by the big shiny box that they
> don’t need to feel the pain of a loved ones death, or a bad breakup.

I was with you up until there. If only antidepressants were effective for
those situations. They're not. But I suspect we'd both agree that TV ads for
chemotherapies are over some kind of line.

~~~
cassowary37
This. Before we disappear down the HN antidepressant conspiracy rabbit hole,
ever actually seen a commercial with either of those themes? You haven't - FDA
would shut 'em down in a heartbeat because that's not in the label.

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pkghost
Is this a joke?

> Finding: From 1997 through 2016, medical marketing expanded substantially,
> and spending increased from $17.7 to $29.9 billion

Adjusted for inflation, that might even constitute a decrease in spending:
2.5% annual marketing spend increase vs, I'm guessing, 3% inflation '97-2016?

> Meaning: There has been marked growth in expenditures on and extent of
> medical marketing in the United States from 1997 through 2016.

Not that we shouldn't have a good talk about medical marketing, but this isn't
the basis for it.

~~~
Retric
“The most rapid increase was in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, which
increased from $2.1 billion (11.9%) of total spending in 1997 to $9.6 billion
(32.0%) of total spending in 2016.“

In terms of inflation, you can actually check. What cost $17.7 in 1997 would
cost $27.07 in 2016. So, no it’s an increase.

[https://westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi](https://westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi)

~~~
lineman33
Spending is already adjusted to 2016 dollars.

------
dang
Url changed from [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/healthcare-
industry-...](https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/healthcare-industry-
spends-30b-on-marketing-most-of-it-goes-to-doctors/), which points to this.

~~~
refurb
"Schmooze docs"? It hasn't been like that in decades.

Most pharma reps I know do the following: 1) arrive at doctor's office, 2)
wait anywhere from 10 min to 3 hours for the doctor to speak to them, 3) spend
5-10 min dropping off new materials and answering any questions [often focused
on insurance], and 4) head to the next office.

I wouldn't call that "schmoozing".

~~~
ceejayoz
It's right there in the linked JAMA article:

> Marketing to health care professionals by pharmaceutical companies accounted
> for most promotional spending and increased from $15.6 billion to $20.3
> billion, including $5.6 billion for prescriber detailing, $13.5 billion for
> free samples, $979 million for direct physician payments (eg, speaking fees,
> meals) related to specific drugs, and $59 million for disease education.

Speaker fees are a particularly insidious approach:
[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2013/06/25/1952325...](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2013/06/25/195232541/top-medicare-prescribers-rake-in-speaking-fees-
from-drugmakers)

> At least 17 of the top 20 Bystolic prescribers in Medicare's prescription
> drug program in 2010 have been paid by Forest to deliver promotional talks.
> In 2012, they together received $284,700 for speeches and more than $20,000
> in meals.

~~~
refurb
Are they prescribing a lot because they are paid speakers kr are they paid
speakers because they prescribe a lot and believe in the product?

~~~
ceejayoz
The industry presumably isn't spending a billion dollars a year on speaker
fees and meals out of a charitable desire to improve doctors' personal lives.

