For many years, prescription medication was marketed directly to medical practitioners alone, and it was the doctor's place to discuss available medications with patients. However, in recent years prescription medication started being marketed directly to consumers through print ads, television commercials, and radio commercials. This direct-to-consumer advertising is considered to be a powerful tool for the companies that produce them, and many are convinced that they are a helpful service for patients who wish to be informed about their options and be active in their own treatment. However, others are skeptical that direct-to-consumer advertisements for prescription medications may hinder effective health care in several ways, including reducing doctor-patient communication. Commercials for products like Claritin, Viagra, Celebrex, and Prilosec are all over the media, convincing viewers that buying these medications are t

The second commercial observed was for an unnamed cholesterol treatment. The commercial announcer revealed that "many people have cholesterol over 240. They diet and exercise like they should. Some will be OK. But some won't. You HAVE to get your number down. Call this number for a free information packet about life-saving treatments that might be right for you, or go online at cholesterolkit88.com. Then you can talk to your doctor. This free kit has information about a treatment proven to lower high cholesterol and help reduce the risk of heart attacks." The message of this commercial is that cholesterol is bad, and that this information will help save your life. The intended target audience is people who are concerned about cholesterol.

This commercial was longer than the Claritin D commercial, and gave a lot more information, although it did not give the name of medication advertised. I liked the fact that this commercial gave real information, such as facts about the definition of high cholesterol (over 240), and encouraging diet and exercise, as well as admitting that some people will be all right without this drug as long as they eat and exercise right. I also liked the fact that this commercial, like the Allegra-D commercial, did not attempt to make any fake situation. It did not imply that your friends will love you more, or that your life will be more exciting and you will suddenly go on camping trips and have more time to do fun things if you take this drug, and it did not pretend that people at parties or social gatherings talk about this medication.

However, there were again many things about this commercial that I did not like. The commercial used scare tactics to try to make me think I need their help. "You HAVE to get your number down" sounds as much like a threat as an advertising technique. I did not like the fact that the commercial did not blatantly state that it was an advertisement for a particular product, but rather implied this was an informational service without an agenda. This is not a free booklet with encyclopedia-like information explaining cholesterol and heart attacks; this is an envelope full of print advertisements for a particular product, and the information will do everything it can to persuade the consumer to purchase this product. Finally, I thought it was inappropriate that the commercial implied that you have to read their information before talking to your doctor about cholesterol. A patient with concerns or questions of any kind should ask his or her doctor about it immediately and openly; it is not necessary for the patient to read any particular information package or call a toll-free number before he or she is worthy of talking to the doctor.

Some people feel that it is important that medication be marketed directly to consumers as well as marketed to health care professionals be

Some common words found in the essay are:
FDA Informative, Ad Help-seeking, Allegra Allegra, , Celebrex Prilosec, prescription medication, prescription medications, health care, particular product, commercial observed, marketed directly, fda commercial observed, marketed directly consumers, medication marketed directly, medication intended, observed unnamed cholesterol, people buy, information product, cholesterol 240, commercial observed unnamed,
Approximate Word count = 1937
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)