Prescription Drugs: Improvements Needed in FDA’s Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Advertising, Full text GAO-07-54, and Highlights, November 16, 2006.
“Studies GAO reviewed suggest that DTC advertising has contributed to increases in drug spending and utilization, for example, by prompting consumers to request the advertised drugs from their physicians, who are generally responsive to these requests. Evidence suggests that the effect of DTC advertising on consumers can be both positive, such as encouraging them to talk to their doctors, and negative, such as increased use of advertised drugs when alternatives may be more appropriate.”
