Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing of prescription drugs Essay

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing of prescription drugs - Essay Example The Food and Drug Administration is the organization in charge of regulating the DTC marketing. These advertisements are placed through the television, print media, radio and other mass and social media. Regulatory and ethical concerns regarding these advertisements, mostly with concerns on the degree to which these advertisements may excessively influence the prescriptions based on the consumer demands, when in some case, they may not be obligatory has become a contentious issue. My major intend of writing this article is to talk about the significance the DTC marketing among consumers and physicians. Presently, it is only the United States and New Zealand in the whole world that consent to DTC marketing. Print advertisements were only meant for over the counter medications during the 18th century. These adverts led to people believing in the fact that those products could cure alcohol related diseases, obesity and dyspepsia. In the 19th century, there was little oversight on the efficiency and safety of these drugs by the government. By the time, the 20th century was being ushered in, a lot of new products flooded the American pharmaceutical market, while most of them one could doubt their effectiveness. This led to passing of a Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act in 1938 by the congress that ensured safety of the drugs on the market. Later in 1962, the FDA was granted an additional responsibility of regulating advertising of prescription drugs. Growing concerns about these advertisements led to introduction of S. 1082, the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act so as to requ ire a mandatory moratorium on advertising new prescription drugs, a pre-clearance of the DTC advertisements. It also required that certain language be included in these advertisements. These restrictions were removed from the bill due to pressure from the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The AAF contends that these moratoriums would violate the first amendment protection