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DTC
Ads and the Credibility Gap
 Even
though a DTC campaign, Patient Package Insert (PPI), or a
patient education program has met all the requirements of
the company's clinical, marketing, legal and regulatory team
as well as the FDA regulations, it can NEVER be maximally
effective if the consumer doesn't understand the information.
I was recently invited
to speak at a Drug Information Association (DIA) meeting in
Manhattan, where I joined a panel of FDA experts and representatives
of a major advertising agency and public relations firm to
explore the topic, "New Ways To Promote ... Marketing
of Pharmaceuticals: How To Be Aggressive and In Compliance."
I was asked to evaluate DTC ads and patient education materials
from the consumer's perspective. There were some that patients
would understand and that would motivate them to take the
proper next step. But these were few and far between.
I encouraged the audience
to put themselves in the place of the consumer and see if
the information would be useful to them and if they would
understand it. Here is an example of wording from a patient
education pamphlet that is being sent to patients to encourage
them to get their first refill.
"In a study of over
4,000 people with heart disease and high cholesterol, [PRODUCT]
demonstrated dramatic results:
- 42% fewer deaths from heart disease*
- 28% fewer first strokes or mini-strokes**
* 42% reduction based on 111/2,221
(product) vs. 189/2,223 (placebo)
**
28% reduction based on 75/2,221 (product) vs. 102/2,223
(placebo) strokes and mini-strokes."
These statistics are meant
for health professionals. I can guarantee that the average
consumer will not understand what these statistics mean. In
fact, this wording will frighten many consumers--and produce
the opposite effect of what was intended.
For more on the importance
of putting information in language that the average consumer
can understand, click
here.
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10% of First Prescriptions
Never Filled
Approximately
10% of all prescriptions written by physicians
are never filled by patients. Many patients decide
right in the doctor's office not to have the prescription
filled - but they do not tell the doctor. In one
study, 73% of the patients gave the following
reasons:
- "I did not need the
medication."
- "I did not want to take
the medication."
That is why
consumers need information about their medication
that is written in language they can understand
and that motivates them to take the medication
correctly. Only then can the product reach its
maximum ROI.
For more on
lost revenues from unfilled and unrefilled prescriptions,
click
here.
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Consumer
Health Information Corporation's Expertise
in Patient Communications
 Developing
messages for consumers and patients on medications requires
a very specialized blending of medical information, regulatory
requirements, marketing techniques, health literacy principles,
patient compliance strategies, and behavior modification techniques...
then translating everything into language the average consumer
can understand... and reinforcing it with an effective "patient-friendly"
design.
Consumer Health Information
Corporation's experts in patient compliance and consumer behavior
know how to develop "consumer-friendly" materials that motivate
patients to take the medication correctly. Only then can the
product fulfill its potential.
Click
here to see why we're unique.
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Consumer Health Information Corporation
is an internationally recognized leader in the development
and production of patient education programs for pharmaceutical
companies, managed care organizations, and consumers.
8300 Greensboro Drive, Suite
1220 | McLean, Virginia 22102
(703) 734-0650 |
Fax (703) 734-1459
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