Still the Great Debate – “Fair Balance” in Direct-toConsumer Prescription Drug Advertising Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) warning letters and notice of violations (NOV) over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing

Are We Meeting the Demand for Pharmacist-Led Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs during Postgraduate Training-Year 1 (PGY1)?

In the United States of America, pharmacists play a pivotal role in antimicrobial stewardship; training from postgraduate residency may hone knowledge and skills gained from didactic pharmacy education. Specifically, the first year of postgraduate training, the learner may become an everyday steward in training and may go on to complete a second year in infectious diseases. However, there are a limited number of second year infectious diseases programs. The current demand for pharmacist to participate in and or lead stewardship is disproportionate to available specialized training. The first year of post-graduate training has to be setup to ensure appropriate preparation, so newly trained pharmacist may help meet the demand. Currently, no clear standards exist for training in the first year. The purpose of this study is to survey the nature of stewardship training performed by first year residents from the perspective of residency program directors and preceptors. A 13-question online survey was distributed to examine resident exposure to antimicrobial stewardship activities. Survey data from targeted residency directors and preceptors were analyzed. A third of the programs required it as a mandatory rotation. Resident\u27s stewardship activities ranged from program to program; there was not consensus of the training activities

Still the Great Debate – “Fair Balance” in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) warning letters and notice of violations (NOV) over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing

Still the Great Debate - Fair Balance in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising; Comment on Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters

The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration\u27s (FDA\u27s) warning letters and notice of violations (NOV) over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing

Impact of celebrity endorsements in disease-specific direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects on consumer response between disease-specific advertising containing a celebrity compared to a non-celebrity endorser. A randomized, cross-sectional two (endorser type) by two (levels of disease state involvement) factorial design was used. Respondents (over the age of 18) were randomly shown one of the ad types and then responded to an online survey questionnaire containing questions and various scales measuring disease state involvement, endorser credibility, attitude toward the ad and company, attention to the ad, behavioral intentions and information search behavior. The disease-specific ad stimuli modeled the form of current print direct-to-consumer ads and were created following recent Food and Drug Administration guidelines, with the only difference being the specific pictorial used (celebrity versus non-celebrity). Findings: While endorser type did not significantly affect consumer attitudes, behavioral intentions and information search behavior, level of disease state involvement, though, did. More highly involved consumers had more positive attitudes, behavioral intentions and greater information search behavior. Originality: While consumers paid more attention to the celebrity-containing ads and viewed them as more credible, this did not translate into significant effects on the outcome dependent variables of consumer attitudes toward the ad and company, behavioral intentions and information search behavior. As previous literature has suggested, level of disease state involvement was a significant predictor of respondent outcomes. Overall, pharmaceutical manufacturers might want to re-evaluate using a celebrity endorser in disease-specific ads, as this research shows the benefits/outcomes may not justify the cost

Review of telehealth interventions for childhood obesity in minority, low-income or underserved populations: Opportunity for pharmacists

There has been a steady increase in childhood obesity, comparable to that seen in adults, over the past decade with the incidence almost tripling. As seen in adults, there are trends in discrepancy among gender, ethnicity, race, and underserved populations in the incidence of childhood obesity. Effective interventions for childhood obesity need to be broad including both diet and exercise, but there is little evidence on the most effective approach. The use of telehealth interventions to treat childhood obesity in ethnic, low-income, and underserved populations could be an effective platform. The pharmacist is a health care professional that is easily accessible to these populations and can assist with lifestyle modification counseling for weight loss. The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth modalities on weight loss in overweight/obese children identified as minority, low-income, or underserved populations. The review found there were many different forms of telehealth interventions utilized which may have influenced the success of evaluated outcomes. The majority of modalities did not improve BMI or BMI z-score when not accompanied by a form of real-time intervention. Studies, where telehealth was accompanied by motivational coaching, did show a significant decrease in BMI and/or BMI z-score

Disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertising for reminding consumers to take medications

Objective To assess the relationship between disease-specific direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, via traditional advertising effectiveness measures, and consumers’ self-reported medication-taking behavior. Methods Data were gathered for 514 respondents (age 18 and above) using an online survey panel. Participants were exposed to a disease-specific (i.e., nonbranded) DTC advertising for depression. The advertising stimulus created for the study was based on the Food and Drug Administration guidelines for disease-specific DTC advertising and modeled after current print disease-specific DTC advertising. Participants reviewed the advertising stimulus through the online program and then responded to a questionnaire containing closed-ended questions assessing the constructs. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests. All tests were interpreted at an a priori alpha of 0.05. Results Significantly more respondents who were highly involved, paid more attention to the advertisement, and were responsive to DTC advertisements in the past indicated that the disease-specific DTC advertising stimulus reminded them to take their depression and other medications. Conclusion These exploratory results show disease-specific DTC advertising can help people remember to take their prescription medication when viewed, which may lead to more positive medication-taking behavior and increased medication adherence. Additionally, given the fair balance and legal issues surrounding product-specific DTC advertising, disease-specific DTC advertising can serve as an effective component of the marketing mix for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Future research should attempt to study the impact of disease-specific DTC advertising on consumers’ actual medication adherence using standardized adherence measures such as prescription records

Disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals: An examination of endorser type and gender effects on consumers\u27 attitudes and behaviors

Abstract: Background Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is still a controversial topic for pharmaceutical manufacturers and researchers, and while numerous studies have examined the DTC phenomenon, little research has examined the effect of gender, particularly gender of the endorser and consumer. Objective The objective of this research was to assess the impact of the endorser (celebrity vs. expert vs. non-celebrity) and gender (both gender of the endorser and gender of the consumer) on consumers\u27 attitudes and behaviors in response to a print disease-specific direct-to-consumer advertisement. Methods Using Qualtrics consumer panel, data were obtained for 514 US adults (age 18 years and above) who demonstrated at least minimal symptoms of depression and need for monitoring based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) score. Data were analyzed using a 3 (Endorser Type: Celebrity/Expert/Non-Celebrity) x 2 (Endorser Gender: Male/Female) x 2 (Consumer Gender: Male/Female) full factorial between subjects multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and necessary univariate analysis. Results Only the type of the endorser (celebrity vs. expert vs. non-celebrity) used in the ad had a significant main effect on the dependent variables. Further univariate analyses revealed that, of the several dependent variables, endorser type had a significant influence only on attitude towards the ad, attention paid to the ad, and endorser credibility, with gender being non-significant in all cases. Conclusions Expert endorser generated significantly more favorable levels of attitude towards the ad, and endorser credibility compared to the non-celebrity endorser. Celebrity endorser attracted more consumer attention towards the ad and generated favorable endorser credibility perceptions compared to the non-celebrity endorser. However, celebrity and expert endorsers did not significantly differ from each other on the above mentioned ad effectiveness variables. Lastly, endorser gender and consumer gender did not have a significant influence on ad effectiveness

A Pharmacy Business Management Simulation Exercise as a Practical Application of Business Management Material and Principles

OBJECTIVE: To implement a pharmacy business management simulation exercise as a practical application of business management material and principles and assess students\u27 perceived value. Design. As part of a pharmacy management and administration course, students made various calculations and management decisions in the global categories of hours of operation, inventory, pricing, and personnel. The students entered the data into simulation software and a realistic community pharmacy marketplace was modeled. Course topics included accounting, economics, finance, human resources, management, marketing, and leadership. Assessment. An 18-item posttest survey was administered. Students\u27 slightly to moderately agreed the pharmacy simulation program enhanced their knowledge and understanding, particularly of inventory management, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements. Overall attitudes toward the pharmacy simulation program were also slightly positive and students also slightly agreed the pharmacy simulation program enhanced their learning of pharmacy business management. Inventory management was the only area in which students felt they had at least some exposure to the assessed business management topics during IPPEs/internship, while all other areas of experience ranged from not at all to a little. CONCLUSION: The pharmacy simulation program is an effective active-learning exercise and enhanced students\u27 knowledge and understanding of the business management topics covered

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Predictive Genetic Tests: A Health Belief Model Based Examination of Consumer Response.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of predictive genetic tests (PGTs) has added a new dimension to health advertising. This study used an online survey based on the health belief model framework to examine and more fully understand consumers\u27 responses and behavioral intentions in response to a PGT DTC advertisement. Overall, consumers reported moderate intentions to talk with their doctor and seek more information about PGTs after advertisement exposure, though consumers did not seem ready to take the advertised test or engage in active information search. Those who perceived greater threat from the disease, however, had significantly greater behavioral intentions and information search behavior