The Fact
A JAMA analysis found that pharmaceutical-company marketing to health care professionals increased from $15.6 billion in 1997 to $20.3 billion in 2016, measured in 2016 dollars. The 2016 total included prescriber detailing, free samples, payments related to specific drugs, and disease education.
What This Means
Drug marketing does not stop with the consumer. Large promotional budgets are also directed into the professional medical information environment where prescribing decisions are made.
Sources
- Schwartz LM, Woloshin S. Medical Marketing in the United States, 1997-2016. JAMA. 2019;321(1):80-96.