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Internet Changes Medication Sales Regulations

BY Jonathan Bick
January 31, 2015

Internet use has changed the way medication purchases are regulated, due in part to patients' free access to information related to pharmaceutical products and medical care. Such access allows patients to be more knowledgeable consumers and rely less upon their physicians' expertise when purchasing medications. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has promoted Internet medication sales by allowing non-print promotion of medications with less detailed information in the ad itself about side effects and precautions than is required of print advertisements. Consequently, pharmaceutical manufacturers sponsor Internet links to promote direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising via the Internet, with sales sites one click away.

DTC has benefited both patients and medication sellers. Evidence suggests that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs increases pharmaceutical sales and helps to avert underuse of medicines, but at the same time leads to potential overuse. See Julie M. Donohue, Ph.D., “A Decade of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs,” N. Engl. J. Med., Aug. 16, 2007. Many DTC marketers have profited by recognizing the opportunities that the Internet offers for reaching consumers.

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