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Health Lover
In early January, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
began investigating celebrity endorsements in television ads for
brand-name drugs. The investigation was sparked by Pfizer's
commercials for its best-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor. These
direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads feature Dr. Robert Jarvik, a pioneer in
the development of the artificial heart. Viewers are not told that
Jarvik is not a cardiologist, nor is he licensed to practice medicine.
His presentation as a trusted expert, Pfizer presumably hopes, is
enough to persuade viewers to ask their doctors for Lipitor by name.
And that would help erode the increasing competition from generic
alternatives.
DTC ads have been controversial since the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) loosened the rules governing pharmaceutical marketing in 1997.
Before Lipitor made headlines, there was Viagra. Pfizer's "Viva
Viagra!" campaign was criticized by the FDA and organizations
including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, who said the DTC ads
encouraged recreational use of the erectile dysfunction drug. One
print ad suggested that Viagra be used to "celebrate" events such as
the Super Bowl or New Year's Eve.
While troubling, DTC ads represent only 14 percent of pharmaceutical
companies' marketing budgets. By the time a 30-second drug commercial
airs, the company has conducted months of segmentation studies, held
dozens of meetings to define the "communication target" (typically a
woman, usually a mother, and of a certain income), and spent millions
of dollars to develop the drug's brand and its market. This strategic
marketing, which represents the remaining 86 percent of drug promotion
expenses, should receive at least as much attention from regulators
and lawmakers as DTC ads.
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