Those “ask your doctor about …” drug ads on TV? Americans are asking not to see any more of them.
A majority of Americans would favor banning prescription drug advertisements on television, a new poll released Wednesday suggests.
Before they were asked their opinions, respondents to the poll were told that some people believe such ads should be banned because of concerns that they can encourage patients to ask for costlier drugs that might be inappropriate for them, and because marketing costs boost the price of drugs. Those polled also were told that others believe the ads make patients better informed about treatment options.
After hearing those points, 57 percent of respondents said they support removing prescription ads from TV, according to the STAT-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll.
Just 39 percent of respondents opposed such a ban. The poll results had a margin of error 5.1 percentage points.The poll comes six months after the American Medical Association, the nation’s largest physicians’ group, called for a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and medical devices.
