But the advertising pays Perna.

> For example, one study of 64 drugs found a median increase in sales of $2.20 for every $1 spent on DTC advertising.

And then there were the examples that I cited above of clinicians in NZ being inundated with patients after an add advertising an asthma inhailer was aired. They said that many patients requested a shift to the new one DESPITE their asthma being well controlled.

I'd like to think that we could just laugh at the ads. But... They are changing consumers behaviour.

There was an example of discoloured fingernails too (a cosmetic problem). How people were given medications that weren't particularly effective and had potentially serious side effects because they saw an add on TV and asked for it by name. Took too long for the docs to tell the patient why they shouldn't have the med so most just gave it to them. That isn't helping. Those people would never have gone to the doc for that if it wasn't for the add.

I'm not sure what I think about promoting False hope. Especially when you didn't think there was really much wrong with you before seeing the add.