Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising and pharmacy practice

The American Health Care Systems course, PHBAS 410, at the Mylan School of Pharmacy of Duquesne University consists of class sessions involving the use of nontraditional, active-learning approaches to supplement an otherwise traditional lecture format. Usually, 2 to 3 class sessions are reserved for special topics during which issues facing contemporary pharmacy practice are discussed. One such topic discussed in the Spring 2002 course offering was the marketing of prescription drugs directly to consumers (DTC advertising). While much has been opined about this phenomenon, students in the course are encouraged to make informed decisions about patients' medication therapies and to use DTC advertising as an opportunity to promote patient safety. Students are provided some background information on various market factors and on the history of DTC advertising to facilitate their understanding of its ubiquity.