Should Pharmaceutical Advertising Be Banned?

Pharmaceutical Advertising Americans constantly see advertisements on TV, in magazines, and on websites about prescription drugs encouraging viewers to recommend prescription drugs to their doctors that they may not even need. In 2007, the average American watched approximately sixteen hours of pharmaceutical advertisements per year (Mulligan). Even though these commercials may seem funny or just annoying, they impact how we think about how prescription drugs are (or should be) marketed and sold. Pharmaceutical advertising should be banned because it can lead to unnecessary prescriptions, companies spending more money on advertising than they do on research, the possibility of it being misleading to patients, along with the threat
Pharmaceutical advertisements advertise these products to potential consumers to encourage them to go to their doctors to see if it would be a good product for them to use for the conditions they have or claim they have. Pharmaceutical advertisements are different from other advertisements in two main ways. Unlike companies who advertise products such as food and toys, a pharmaceutical company's product cannot be obtained directly by the consumer; they have to get it through their doctor to receive the medication. The goal for any company, including pharmaceutical companies, is to advertise their product to inform or remind consumers that their product exists and to persuade people to use their product. The main difference between pharmaceutical advertisements and other commercial products is the fact that pharmaceutical products can be harmful if taken unnecessarily. They can also make people think that they have a condition or disease that quite frankly, they don’t
In this case, the opponents of the ban are the pharmaceutical companies doing the advertising. They argue that especially with research and knowledge being so easily accessible, pharmaceutical advertising encourages people to be involved, active, and informed about their health. They say that instead of being uninformed and just doing what doctors tell them to do, "patients today are asking questions, evaluating information, and making choices," which is very easy to do today with the internet, television, and magazines. They claim that pharmaceutical advertising increases the knowledge of the consumer about symptoms, diseases, and available treatments (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America). Knowledge about their medications helps the consumer know what they would be taking and the effects the drug could have on their body. But, in response to this, there is a good reason that only two countries even allow this type of advertising. "Only two countries permit DTC drug ads-- the U.S. and New Zealand. Every other nation has concluded that it is unwise and irresponsible to pitch potentially dangerous meds to people lacking the medical training" to make the best, informed decisions regarding their health (Lazarus). Patients should trust their doctors to get them the right medication for their condition, since the doctors know more about the patient’s condition than the patient themself