Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Physician Diagnosing .

Initially, 48 drug classes encompassing 121 specifically advertised agents were represented by the CMR data. Nineteen medicine agents were advertised for 19 months or more (not necessarily consecutive months). These 19 drugs encompassed 13 NDCD classes. Both the drug league sort and the advertised drugs were examined when selecting drug classes for the analyses. The multitude NDCD classes and proponent agents (as they were categorized in NAMCS) were excluded: dermatological (Rogaine), antiarthritic (Relafen), estrogens and progestins (Depo-Provera, Estraderm, and Premarin), pharmaceutical aids (Habitrol), contraceptives (Norplant), and topical steroids (Flonase). The aforementioned drugs and NDCD classes were excluded for one or more of the people reasons: the NDCD assortment was so broad that the relationship between worker and dependent variables would have been weak, the drug was approved to become a nonprescription federal agent during the opus ending, the drug had multiple approved and off-label therapeutic uses and may be associated with various diagnoses, and presidency of the drug required surgical emplacement. Also, antifungals were excluded because certain drugs in this taxonomic category (Diflucan and Sporanox) had been classified as antiprotozoals in the early class of the NAMCS. Finally, antianginals (Minitran) were excluded for disproportionally low business enterprise expenditures relation to the other products included in the document. Approximately $5.5 large integer was spent promotion all antianginal products during the drawing menses.