# Presentation: 114541

## Motivation

- Lack of benefit data in DTC ads may lead public to overestimate benefit of drug:

- 	One quarter of Americans believe only “extremely effective” drugs can be advertised to the public
- 	Physicians report exaggerated perceptions of benefit as the most significant problem DTC create for them

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making

## Effect of a prescription drug benefit box on the public’s assessment of drug efficacy

- 		Lisa M. Schwartz, MD, MS*
- 		Steven Woloshin, MD, MS*
- 		H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH
- VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT
- Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences,
- Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH
- *Drs. Schwartz and Woloshin are supported by VA HSR&D Career Development Awards and Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Faculty Scholar Awards

**Notes:**
We would like to thank you for having us.

The title of our talk is “helping people make sense of medical information”

I 

## Objective

- 	To learn how a drug benefit box (i.e. data on prescription drug efficacy) in the brief summary of DTC ads affects the public’s perception of drug efficacy

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making

## Prescription drug benefit box

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making

##  Demographics Study participants (n=203)

- Mean age (range)
-    30-49 yrs
-    50-64 yrs
-    65+    yrs
- Women
- Race 				White		 	Black			Asian

- 52 years (30-91)
- 45%
- 26%
- 29%
- 65%
- 90%
-   4%
-   4%

## Medication experienceStudy participants (n=203)

- Paid attention to any advertisement for prescription drug in past 3 months
- Medication use
- 	Currently take medicine to..
- 		prevent heart attack or stroke
- 		treat any arthritis or joint pain

- 50%
- 36%
- 34%

## Study design

- Read Ad 1 + Summary

-  & After

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making

## How effective is AVASTAT in preventing heart attacks for people with high cholesterol?

- When reading the ad...

- 0%

- 20%

- 40%

- 60%

- 80%

- 100%

## How effective is OFECOX in treating arthritis symptoms?

- How effective is OFECOX in treating arthritis symptoms?

- When reading the ad...

- 0%

- 20%

- 40%

- 60%

- 80%

- 100%

## How effective is OFECOX compared to ibuprofen in treating arthritis symptoms?

- When reading the ad...

- 0%

- 20%

- 40%

- 60%

- 80%

- 100%

- How effective is OFECOX compared to ibuprofen in treating arthritis symptoms?

## How effective is PRIDCLO in preventing heart attack or stroke for people who have already had one?

- How effective is PRIDCLO in preventing heart attack or stroke for people who have already had one?

- Randomized to ad...

- 0%

- 20%

- 40%

- 60%

- 80%

- 100%

## How effective is PRIDCLO compared to aspirin in preventing heart attack or stroke?

- Randomized to ad...

- 0%

- 20%

- 40%

- 60%

- 80%

- 100%

- How effective is PRIDCLO compared to aspirin in preventing heart attack or stroke?

## Limitations

- 	May not be representative
- 		Convenience sample of ads and respondents

- 	Simulation
- 		Will benefit box have this effect in reality?

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making

## Conclusion

- 	The quantitative data about drug efficacy presented in the prescription drug benefit box...
- 	 	reduced perceived efficacy of the advertised 		drug
- 		helped people more accurately gauge the 		benefit of the drug compared to an alternative

**Notes:**
So - as a result of these laudable efforts to give people health information -

people are increasingly exposed to information about their health risks - information which is meant to help inform their decision making