Most Kiwis want adverts for prescription medicines banned, a consumer survey shows.
Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said New Zealand and the US are the only two countries in the developed world to allow direct-to-consumer prescription medicines advertising, and 57% of Kiwi consumers want out.
“We’ve been calling for these ads to be banned because they don’t provide consumers with good information and they increase the risk of medicines being overprescribed,” said Wilson. “Our survey also shows many consumers don’t think these ads are giving them the full picture.”
Of the 1001 adults quizzed, just 15% thought drug advertising should continue and only 8% strongly agreed that medicine ads provided unbiased and comprehensive information about treatment.
While most consumers had a negative view of this advertising, one in eight said an ad had prompted them to ask for a prescription medicine from their doctor or other health professional. Of those, 45% got the prescription they requested, while 21% received a prescription for another medicine.
