How appropriate is it for pharmaceutical companies to market directly to consumers who may not be in a position to judge the merits of a particular drug? After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed its rules on mass media advertising of prescription drugs in 1997, the door was opened to direct-to-consumer marketing on the part of pharmaceutical companies. Rather than relying strictly on the prescription activities of physicians, pharmaceutical companies believed direct appeals to consumers would increase pharmaceutical sales in general and convince consumers to request particular drugs.

To take advantage of this opportunity, GoodDrugs, Inc., shifted a portion of its advertising budget to direct-to-consumer marketing.

This advertising was intended to supplement existing approaches—visits by sales representatives to physicians’ offices, advertising in medical journals, and the presentation of educational seminars to physicians.