“Only two industrialized countries, the United States and New Zealand, allow direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines.”

That’s from an article published today in the Public Library of Science Medicine online journal, claiming that experiencing drug advertising could be hazardous to your health– and your wallet:

“DTCA is limited to drugs that are profitable to advertise: mostly expensive, new drugs for long-term use for common indications. Such advertising increases premature rapid uptake and overuse of new drugs before flaws, including safety problems, have been discovered and communicated to health professionals… Many new drugs are inferior to older treatments, and over two-thirds are no better but are often more expensive…”

Does this mean our new Placeberol prescription won’t cure urban decay like the commercials seemed to promise?

Read More: What Are the Public Health Effects of DCTA? [Public Library of Science Medicine] (Thanks to EPIC.org!)

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