I live in NZ. Haven't lived in the US but spent lots of time there for work which included TV in various hotel rooms.
One of the biggest and starkest differences I noted was the drug advertising on US TV, both in quantity and content. I feel in NZ there's minimal drug advertising and when there is it's restricted to things like panadol and acid reflux stuff. US would advertise for just about everything ( lots of depression/mental health drug ads), all with the refrain of "ask your Dr about xxx".
It was so jarring that I often joke with my American friends that "in NZ, our Dr tells us what to take" rather than the other way round
That's exactly why ads are pushed on TV, is it not? They're called direct to consumer but they really aren't for the consumer...they're for doctors to consciously or subconsciously gain a favorable opinion about the drug by hearing about it frequently.
“Most physicians agreed that because their patient saw a DTC ad, he or she asked thoughtful questions during the visit. About the same percentage of physicians thought the ad made their patients more aware of possible treatments.”
New drugs are being developed to replace existing ones that are still effective, with the intention of bypassing expiring patents. And of course, these new drugs get all of the advertising budget.
Another example:the active ingredient in the sleep remedy pushed on TV by Huckabee (US guy who ran for US president) is just melatonin. You can the same effect for way cheaper.
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[ 1.5 ms ] story [ 25.5 ms ] threadCan you comment on how drug ads are similar or different in the two countries?
One of the biggest and starkest differences I noted was the drug advertising on US TV, both in quantity and content. I feel in NZ there's minimal drug advertising and when there is it's restricted to things like panadol and acid reflux stuff. US would advertise for just about everything ( lots of depression/mental health drug ads), all with the refrain of "ask your Dr about xxx".
It was so jarring that I often joke with my American friends that "in NZ, our Dr tells us what to take" rather than the other way round
There is separate physician marketing that is much more sophisticated.
Look at the FDA research on it including a survey of doctor on the impact.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients...
“Most physicians agreed that because their patient saw a DTC ad, he or she asked thoughtful questions during the visit. About the same percentage of physicians thought the ad made their patients more aware of possible treatments.”
This is according to what I have heard.
the more marketing it has, the more it has to compensate for (IMO).
It’s basically “if we spend $X on advertising, does that increase revenue by at least $X? if so advertise”