Observations

As anyone who watches television or reads magazines knows, pharmaceutical companies are spending more money on consumer advertising.

Indeed, data from IMS Health, a firm that provides information and strategies to the drug and health care industries, indicate that direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical spending has more than doubled from $1.07 billion in 1997 to $2.64 billion in 2002, the most recent year for which data is available.

The rise in pharmaceutical advertising expenditures has paralleled a rise in the spending for prescription drugs in the United States. A 2002 report issued by the federal government's General Accounting Office (GAO) found spending on prescription drugs now represents 10 percent of health care spending by Americans. The number of prescriptions dispensed in U.S. retail pharmacies has grown at an average annual rate of 6 percent since 1992, reaching nearly 3 billion in 2000, according to the GAO report.

In addition to pharmaceutical advertising directed at consumers, other contributors to the growth in pharmaceutical sales include promotion aimed at physicians, an aging population, new medications for conditions that previously had less effective treatments, and increased insurance coverage for medications, the GAO report says.

The FDA has regulated the advertising of prescription drugs since 1962 under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and related regulations, focusing primarily on ad content. FDA regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising help make sure that information presented to consumers clearly states the limitations of a product, as well as the benefits.

Find out more about the FDA's oversight of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads in our cover story titled "Truth in Advertising: Rx Drug Ads Come of Age."

People who take medicines should keep track of them and keep their doctors informed, especially if they take several different medicines, see more than one doctor, or have certain health conditions. Doing so will help prevent drug interactions.

Drug interactions may make a drug less effective, cause unexpected side effects, or increase the action of a particular drug. Some drug interactions can even be harmful. Reading the label each time a nonprescription or prescription drug is used and taking the time to learn about drug interactions may help avoid potentially dangerous situations. For more information, see our feature titled "Preventing Serious Drug Interactions."

Dogs and cats that bite their bodies, lick their paws, or scratch furiously may have an allergy related to pollen, dust, mold, or even their food. Luckily, there are ways to treat the itchiness, and even to "desensitize" a pet to the substances causing the allergic reaction.

The FDA regulates drugs for animals, and the agency's Center for Veterinary Medicine has approved medications to treat itchy pets and their infections. For more on the allergies that affect pets, read our feature story titled "Is Your Pet Itching for Relief?"

We also give tips on the safe way to make homemade ice cream, examine how the FDA ensures that dietary supplements are safe, and take a look at a Department of Health and Human Services initiative that targets diabetes prevention and treatment in children and minority populations.

Ray Formanek Jr.
Editor

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