Negative Effects Of Prescription Drug Advertising

Prescription drug advertising is a normal part of living in the United States. Considering what people can learn through advertising in society is almost unreal. The US population have encountered drug advertisements dating back to the early 1900’s. From heroin to aspirin and everything in between were at once listed to be advertised. Fast forward to today, and pharmaceutical companies continue to use high amounts of prescription drugs advertisements. People right now are seeing the effects that these advertisements have in negative ways, but also at the same time creating benefits in society. In this paper, I will be discussing the effects of prescription drug advertisements in the United States. Although prescription drug advertisements

There was a research study about the negative effects that promoting all those drug advertisements 3 In this study it was found that advertisements actually had an opposite reaction from their audiences 3. People would find themselves not buying their products because of their numerous advertisements. This is what you call the boomerang effect 3. Like a boomerang, you throw it for it to only turn around and hoping that it comes back to you. The throwing action shows the intentions and hope of advertisements but the turnaround represents the negative results. The negative results were that consumers would try to seek alternative solutions to their problems rather than listening to the advertisements through their media outlets. Having less people participating into the prescription drug market, the company’s potential in profit also decreases 3. The greater the response, the greater chance that the company is losing their audience. In the end, prescription drug commercials cause a boomerang effect on their audience that makes a small portion actually not buy the prescription

From the economic side of how much companies were spending in the beginning and the boomerang effect, to the social side of neuromarketing, the increase amount of submissions to the FDA, an increase to patient cooperation, and to even news stations making articles about drug commercials is insane 2,3,5,7,8. I believe that media has unlimited potential into what can be shown and what can be the message along with it. With that as long as the US still allows prescription drug commercials I think its influence will continue to