Should drug companies be allowed to run ‘awareness’ ads for conditions their drugs treat? We asked 5 experts

By Barbara Mintzes, Professor in Pharmaceutical Policy, School of Pharmacy and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney
David Menkes, Associate Professor in Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Fiona Willer, Lecturer, Dietitian and Bioethicist, Queensland University of Technology
Jennifer Power, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University
Ray Moynihan, Senior Research Manager, University of Sydney and Honorary Assistant Professor, Bond University

Unlike in the United States and New Zealand, it’s illegal in Australia to advertise prescription medicines directly to the public.

The main idea is to avoid demand for a drug that may not be appropriate, but which doctors may feel under pressure to prescribe.

But drug companies can get around this restriction by running “awareness” ads that indirectly promote their products.

For instance, we’re currently seeing…

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