Ok, keep in mind I come from a country without direct-to-consumer advertising (Canada).

BUT, I don't think it's as evil as you make it out to be.

Why? Because ultimately the gatekeepers of drugs are the physicians, not the patients. So if direct-to-consumer advertising is really having such a huge effect on prescribing practices, then we need to take a good look at why. A good, responsible doctor is not supposed to just prescribe whatever drug the patient asks for.

I think direct-to-consumer advertising can actually help open a dialogue between patients and physicians. Sometimes a patient just needs to know that there are treatment options available, and then they will bring up what's bothering them with their doctor.

I think the much more sinister thing is the aggressive direct-to-doctor advertising that happens, and the way that Big Pharma manipulates the research field by controlling research grants and research symposiums, planting fake research, hiring doctors to put their names on reseach papers, etc. THAT is how Big Pharma is REALLY peddling its drugs. It is VERY sinister and it is detroying the research world. And this is coming from a med student who is very pro-drug.