To Ban or Not to Ban DTC? That Was the Question!

To ban, or not to ban DTC advertising: that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler for the pharma industry to suffer
The slings and arrows of politicians seeking the office of presidency,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, Republican and Democrat
And by opposing end them?

The pharmaceutical industry must be reeling from the blow delivered by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) who called upon the drug industry to impose "a two-year moratorium on advertising for new drugs and a government audit to determine how drug ads have affected the way Americans are treated for illness."

This article takes a critical look at Frist's proposal and other emerging DTC reform ideas. Included are reactions to the Frist proposal from PhRMA, AMA, advertising trade associations, and from pharmaceutical marketing professional members of the PHARMA-MKTING online discussion group.

Topics covered include:

Frist to Industry: Time to Clean Up Your Act
Deconstructing Frist's Proposal
DTC Issue Has Political Wings
DTC and Docs
Education vs. Promotion
ED Drug Ads: Bad Boys of DTC
DTC and Drug Prices
DTC and Communicating Risk
FDA Weakness
Emerging DTC Principles
Additional Steps
No Carrot, Just a Stick
Reaction from Pharma Marketing Experts