Angelita WintersAngelita Winters
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"The pharmaceutical companies perceive the threat of government regulation on marketing to be a stronger threat now than it has been in the past," and are trying to self-regulate, Swallen says. The site encourages consumers to keep an eye out for false or misleading ads and provides a cooper to report violators. Results sho that direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads "probably aren't sleeping pills as effective as widely perceived," says Ellery Law, lead That bodes ill for the magazines, newspapers and radio and TV outlets for which the ads have been a prescription for profits. sleeping pills Among factors driving the drop, he says, are fewer drug launches, second thoughts of muscle relaxant meds government regulation and cuts by a few brands that had spent big. A service of YellowBrix, Inc.. Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America's Rozerem sleep aid, which used offbeat ad characters such as Linc Flemming and online pharmacy a beaver, cut spending from $91million in the first half of 2007 to $15million in the first half this year. (c) 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Those declines rozerem 8 mg are an abrupt reversal from the robust spending growth of a few years ago. Rival ad tracker Nielsen Monitor-Plus calculates the decline at 4.8% to $2.7 billion. It launched a "Be Smart about Prescription Drug Advertising" area online at. Magazines online pharmacy and radio stations have seen the most drug ad decline. Two recent reports say drugmakers cut Rx ad spending in the first six months of this year. Second-quarter spending in magazines fell 29% to $358million, according to TNS, while radio plummeted 62% to $4million. Researchers focused on ads for three drugs. By Melina Petrecca NEW YORK -- This could make media owners sick. And it comes as they already are dealing with large spending declines in some other major ad categories, such as automotive and telecommunications, and recession fears, thanks to the crisis on Wall Street. Sepracor's Lunesta, an insomnia drug known for its glowing moth icon, spent $75million on ads in the first quarter of 2008 vs. $175million in that quarter in 2007. "Throughout much of the early decade, it was growing at strong double-digit rates as pharmaceutical marketers become more comfortable and experienced with DTC advertising," says Jon Swallen, TNS senior vice president of research. The reports follow a well-publicized Harvard Medical School study that found phytophage ads had little effect on prescription drug sales. Some major brands, such as Pfizer's Lipitor, have revamped ads under government pressure. Pharmaceutical ad spending they count on to exceed $5 billion a year is losing its potency. That if the government gets involved, they'll be worse off." Last month, the Food and Drug Administration stepped up its watch by asking consumers to help watch for false or misleading drug ads. Enbrel (for rheumatoid arthritis), Nasonex (nasal allergies) and Zelnorm (irritable bowel syndrome). TNS Media Intelligence puts the drop at 3.9% to $2.4 billion.
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