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The
pharmaceutical industry is increasingly advertising drugs directly
to patients in newspapers, magazines and on television. To help
prescribers deal with questions arising from these ads, The Medical
Letter is starting a new department, Direct-To-Consumer Advertisements,
that will appear occasionally in our newsletter and more frequently
on our web site.
Appropriate
suggestions for new topics for this department are welcome - send
your suggestions to editorial@medicalletter.org
To
read these articles you will need a free Adobe®
Acrobat® Reader.
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January 6, 2003 
The FDA has approved the marketing of loratadine (Claritin - Schering), a second-generation H1-antihistamine, without a prescription. The drug was also recently approved for OTC use as Alavert (Wyeth) and other generics are expected. |
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October
1, 2001
Methylphenidate is now available in a new extended-release
formulation (Metadate CD - Celltech) for treatment
of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The
new product, which is a Schedule II controlled substance,
is being advertised directly to consumers. |
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May
14 , 2001
Use of epoetin alfa (Procrit - Ortho Biotech; Epogen
- Amgen), a recombinant human erythropoietin (Medical
Letter 1989; 31:85), is being promoted directly to consumers
in vague advertisements that promise renewed energy and
improved work capacity. Epoetin is approved by the FDA
for treatment of anemia due to chronic renal failure,
cancer chemotherapy or HIV treatment, and before elective
non-cardiac surgery. It is also used illicitly by competitive
athletes to increase their endurance. |
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April
30 , 2001
With the coming of spring, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements
in newspapers, in magazines and on television are urging
people with seasonal allergies to ask their doctors about
one or another of the newer, non-sedating antihistamines.
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April
2 , 2001
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements, particularly
in magazines for women, are promoting the effectiveness
of extended-release (ER) formulations of tolterodine tartrate
(Detrol LA - Pharmacia) and oxybutynin (Ditropan
XL - Alza) for treatment of overactive bladder. |
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March
19, 2001
Full-page newspaper advertisements addressed to patients
with type 2 diabetes are promoting the convenience of
"NEW once-a-day Glucophage XR (metformin HCl
extended-release tablets)," and offering a coupon
for a free 30-day supply in the month of March. |
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February
19, 2001
Palivizumab (Synagis - MedImmune), an injectable
monoclonal antibody, has been marketed in the USA since
1999 for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
disease in high-risk infants and children (Medical Letter
1999; 41:3). "RSV awareness" ads sponsored by
the manufacturer and directed at the parents of premature
infants are now appearing on television (M Peterson, New
York Times, January 31, 2001). |
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