All that without discount coupons or shelf space at Wal-Mart. Pharmaceutical advertising used to be prohibited to protect consumers from exploitation and unscrupulous merchants. But this paternalistic view of medical ethics has given way to the caveat emptor of business ethics. Patients have become desirous consumers, and the media fuel those desires by providing just enough information to bring customers to the door, or at least the phone. The ads are here to stay.
Ads provide information.
Doctors have less time than ever to provide information to their patients, much less build relationships. Consumers want information at least as much as they want to be able to make decisions. Just knowing that pills for depression can work well is news worth repeating. The positive side Ads can provide better choices. More information implies more choice, and if there is an American core value, it is choice.