DTC television ads driving consumers to pharma websites

Manhattan research recently conducted some market research studies to see how direct-to-consumer or DTC ads were impacting website traffic to pharmaceutical websites. The findings are from a report titled, "ePharma Consumer® v9.0" and it focuses on the attitudes and behaviors of consumers researching prescription drug information online.

Top Pharma Product Sites in Terms of Percentage of Traffic Driven by DTC Television Ads: 

1. NuvaRing
2. Latisse
3. Cialis
4. Boniva
5. Abilify
6. Gardasil
7. Yaz
8. Viagra
9. Levitra
10. Lunesta

"In today's multi-channel world, marketing initiatives must be designed to work together for optimal results," says Meredith Ressi, Vice President of Research at Manhattan Research. "While the television ad is critical to building awareness, for many patients, the Internet is a next stop for learning more before going on to speak to their physician about a product."

Noticing a theme? How many of the products listed above deal with sexual health? I count six out of ten (some may argue that Gardasil is in a different category).  I think we can be sure that we'll be seeing more ads on TV that focus on sexuality and sexual health. Just watch the Super Bowl and you'll see.

Are TV ads causing cancer patients to distrust their providers?

You've probably seen direct-to-consumer or DTC ads on TV about cancer therapies. I don't watch too much television, so I don't consider myself an expert when it comes to these types of ads.

Do these television ads hurt or help patient-provider interactions in the world of oncology? To answer this question, a group of researchers did a study and published it in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 27, No 25 (September 1), 2009: pp. 4182-4187. The study was titled, "Cancer-Related Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: Awareness, Perceptions, and Reported Impact Among Patients Undergoing Active Cancer Treatment"

The authors on the paper were: Gregory A. Abel, MD, MPH, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, Nathanael D. Hevelone, MPH, and Jane C. Weeks, MD. From the Center for Outcomes and Policy Research and the Division of Women's Cancers, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

So what did the investigators find?

• A majority of those aware reported that cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising (CR-DTCA) made them "aware of treatments they did not know about" (62.2%), provided information in "a balanced manner" (65.2%), and helped them to have "better discussions" with their provider (56.8%).
  
• These perceptions were significantly more favorable among those who had not graduated from college (P < .05 for each).
• Overall, 11.2% reported that CR-DTCA made them "less confident" in their providers' judgment.
  
• Of those aware, 17.3% reported talking to their provider about an advertised medication, although less than one fifth of those reported receiving a prescription for the advertised medication.
• The authors conclude that CR-DTCA was found to be accessible and useful; however, it decreased some patients' confidence in their providers' judgment.
  

Are patients too demanding? Or are they becoming more educated through these ads and are they simply trying to make informed decisions? Are these ads misleading patients? You're only going to find ads on TV from the newest drugs, so don't expect ads about old drugs, generics, etc.

The JCO abstract can be found here:
http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/25/4182

Speaking of Dana-Farber, I did some cancer research when I was a student at MIT. Those were the days. I used to ride my bike across the Harvard bridge or take the T to get to the hospital. I miss those Boston days. Life was so simple back then. If only I could go back in time...

Are DTC ads losing their effectiveness?

We live in an era where we're surrounded by direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads about pharmaceutical products. We know that marketing works, but how effective are these DTC ads? According to Rodale's annual Consumer Reaction to DTC Advertising of Prescription Drugs survey, DTC ads may be losing their effectiveness. The telephone survey of 1,501 US adults found that the number of people saying a DTC ad prompted them to seek information about a condition declined 5 points from last year to 29%. Also, 30% (down 7 points over last year) of consumers indicated that they sought information about a drug they were taking after seeing an ad. What's the point of looking at a drug ad if they're already taking the drug, right?

The bottom line is that only 28% said they talked to a healthcare provider about a drug they saw or heard advertised. That's down from last year's 40%. Among those who looked online for drug information, 27% had read something on a health-related blog post.

So among the various forms of DTC advertising, which method works most effectively? Most people probably encounter ads through several modalities: print, online, TV, radio, etc. We're all bombarded with ads. Are we simply getting better at tuning them out?

Ethicon Endo-Surgery on YouTube

If you're into medical device marketing, you'll like this story. J&J's Ethicon Endo-Surgery is using YouTube as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) outreach strategy for its Realize adjustable gastric band. They're also launching the “Realize my Success” online clinical support tool for patients. Will the combination of YouTube marketing plus an online support tool help patients lose weight?

Want to Go Back in Time?

I know so many physicians who want to travel back in time to the days before direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising was allowed. In those days, patients did not get bombarded with television, Internet, radio, and magazine ads about specific drugs. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars each year on DTC advertising. Many people want to see DTC go away. However, proponents of DTC would argue that these commercials have improved public health awareness of certain conditions (like cervical cancer) and have also informed patients that treatment for specific conditions are available.

So, what if we simply changed the rules behind DTC marketing?

• Instead of mentioning a specific drug name, mention the condition and urge consumers to "talk to your doctor" about the options that are available. Will pharmaceutical companies continue DTC advertising if that became the new rule? Perhaps only those companies that have the ONLY drug for a specific condition (how often does that occur?). Maybe this type of change isn't feasible.
  

• What if DTC ads were multi-sponsored or multi-supported? In other words, take all the drug manufacturers who make a drug for a specific condition (let's say restless leg syndrome or RLS). Then, have them all contribute funds towards an RLS commercial. The commercial will improve public awareness of this condition and also list each of the drugs that are used to treat this condition. Would this work?
  

What are your thoughts about DTC? We probably won't see DTC completely disappear. Some want to delay DTC ads for one year (let the doctors learn about the new drugs before the patients learn about them). I'd personally like to see the funds for DTC channeled towards efforts that focus on improving public health and health/medical education for both consumers and healthcare professionals.

Reduced DTC spending in 2008

According to TNS Media Intelligence, DTC spending was down in 2008. Was that because of the changes in the economy or because pharma decided that DTC really doesn't really yield much ROI?

I think it's safe to think that DTC spending will continue to decline in 2009. In fact, almost all the budgets will probably get reduced this year unless companies have new drugs emerging from the pipeline.

The Future of Pharmaceutical DTC Marketing

What is the future of pharmaceutical Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing? Does it work? Is the ROI (return on investment) as high as people think? Is it a money waster?

Most clinicians will say that DTC has caused more headaches in the office. However, there are some cases of public health benefit from some of these DTC campaigns that have increased disease awareness for specific conditions. As a result of some DTC, patients are asking many more questions and bringing up topics that weren't traditionally discussed in the office setting. Is this good or bad? Can it lead to harm? (well, I supposed anything can lead to harm). But what if a patient insists on receiving a medication when it isn't indicated? (well, I suppose that happens all the time anyways).

So, will DTC get shut down? I doubt that it will. The FDA will increase the regulations on DTC, but it will continue. However, my personal hope is that pharma will spend less on DTC and channel its resources in other areas that can really contribute to improvements in public health.