Name: Trung Nguyen

Topic: Issue 3, Does Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Enhance Patient Choice?

Course: Biology 1090 (Tuesday Thursday)
Due date: 4/7/2016
1. Paul Antony, Chief Medical Officer of Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufactures of America (PhRMA), argues that direct-to-consumer
advertising is a powerful thing to educate millions of people and improve
their health with better communication with physicians.
2. Physicians David A. Kessler and Douglas A. Levy think that because of directto-consumer advertising, patients ultimately take medicines they do not
need.
3. According to Paul, DTC advertising has been a good material to American
patients. Paul said: Because of DTC advertising patients are more likely to
take their prescribed medicines. In my opinion, I agree more with Yes side
than No side because I think every single product needs to have its
information so that the customers can acknowledge about it and know if they
need it. It will be the same with drugs which are the most important product
in this world to heal and help patients with treatment.
4. Dr. Kessler and Levy show that Nearly one third of the 2005 spending was on
only 1 category: sleep medicines. They also said: Yet, sleep disorder,
however problematic and serious they may be and unintentional injuries.
In my opinion, everyone knows the consequences of sleep medicines but they
are not really the major issue when the patients have long time of sleep
disorder. However, we need to know that there are many types of drugs so
the patients need to know which one is the good one, and it is depended on
advertising with detailed information.

5. According to the Yes side, DTC advertising provides value to patients by

making them aware of risks and benefits of new drugs. I think this is true
because new drugs are dangerous, there were some drugs companies that
produce new product with large side-effect. The Yes side: Given the progress
that continues to be made in societys battle about medical problems and
potential treatments. I agree with this because information of drug is
definitely important for customers to have access of full benefit in new drugs.
6. According to the No side, they said As physicians, we know that even the
most effective pharmaceutical may not be right for every patient. For this
reason, the customers need to have full information about the drugs that
they need.
7. Paul said that patients are more likely to discuss their illness with physicians
because of DTC advertising, I do not see any relations between these two
matters. In addition, there are some illnesses that patients are not willing to
share with physicians (not doctors).
8. Dr. Kessler and Levy think that advertising is based on anything, but the
facts. I do not think so because with medicines, there should be detailed
information in the advertising. They said that DTC advertising may lead
people to take medicines that they do not need. According to that, why
physicians are existed.
9. As I said above, I agree more with the Yes side (Paul Anthony) because he has
more solid evidences and he do not focus on small matter like on the No side.

He also provides information about medical journals and studies to improve

the advertisement in the future.

10.In my opinion, Paul Anthony is the one I am strongly agree with because as I
know that even a small product such as gum also has information on it. Drugs
are the most significant product in the world so those drugs must be labeled
with detailed information on them.
11.I do not think the writers are biased because they also show some facts that
support the opposite side.