title: Do ads really drive pharmaceutical sales? The true effects of DTC advertising remain a mystery.
abstract: The growth in mass media drug advertising has coincided with a rapid rise in spending on prescription drugs in the United States. Our research examines the potential link between increased ad spending and the rising use and sale of these drugs. We found strong circumstantial evidence that ad spending is one of many important elements driving the sharp rise in pharmaceutical sales to consumers.
authors.affiliation: sfindlay@nihcm.org
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Findlay
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration