Prescription Drug Advertising: Misleading Or False?

In 2014, Dartmouth College and University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered “That nearly 60 percent of prescription drug advertisements are misleading or false, which puts consumers, families, and children at risk.” (“DeLauro Introduces” 5). Dr. Kessler, who in addition to his licence to practice medicine has the distinction of being a lawyer, stresses that in advertising prescription drugs, “There is no place for misleading information or puffery that exaggerates a product's usefulness or understates its risks.” (950). The purpose of DTCA of prescription drugs is to be informative; a product claim advertisements goal is to give a list of symptoms, a solution, and an encouragement to talk to your doctor if you have similar symptoms. This purpose
is quickly lost when pharmaceutical companies fund their own commercials. Dr. Stange points out that “Ads designed to sell drugs are not our unbiased allies in improving health care or health.” (101). Many advertisements have attractive actors or celebrities in doctor’s coats spouting the benefits of this particular medication and how it can improve or change a person’s life for the better. Then they quickly run through a list of side effects in a calm, soothing voice, played along with soft music. An article in Scientific American points out that a ban on DTCA of prescription drugs would take twisted drug advertising off the air, advertisements that confuse instead of educate. (“This Drug Ad” 10).