What does DTCA stand for?

Direct-to-consumer advertising is big business but it doesn’t always give consumers the information they need to make smart health decisions.

What's more, "real spending on direct-to-consumer advertising increased by 330 percent from 1996 to 2005.

In December 2005, CanWest MediaWorks mounted a legal challenge against Canada's prohibition of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

electronic drug information systems link to electronic health records * legislation to ban all forms of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs in Canada, * information systems that identify patients whose waits are becoming unusually long, triggering an audit, * more interprofessional teams providing primary health care beyond the goal set out in the 2003 and 2004 agreements, * greater use of tele-triage and telehealth technologies, * aid for people without any drug coverage or without coverage that protects them from catastrophic drug costs.

Some states are looking at resolutions asking federal agencies to review direct-to-consumer advertising practices.

The new PhRMA guidelines notes that direct-to-consumer advertising is a powerful tool for reaching and educating the public about health, disease, and treatment options and encourages patients to speak with their physicians about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs.

In addition to spending a vast amount of resources on Research and Development (R and D), the pharmaceutical industry is engaged in a substantial amount of marketing of their products, through both detailing to doctors and direct-to-consumer advertising to patients.

If you maintain healthy skepticism about drug ads, and ask your doctor good questions, you'll do well in this world of direct-to-consumer advertising.