Directtoconsumeradvertising of prescription medicines

Purpose The pharmaceutical industry is a leader in research and development investment. New treatments need to be communicated to the market, and consumers are increasingly interested in learning about new drugs. Direct to consumer advertising of prescription medicines DTCA is a controversial practice where many of the arguments for and against are not supported by strong evidence. This paper aims to contribute to a research agenda that is forming in this area. Designmethodologyapproach The paper reports on a systematic review that was conducted and applies accepted theoretical models to the DTCA context. The systematic review methodology is widely accepted in the medical sector and is successfully applied here in the marketing field. Findings The hierarchy of effects model is specifically applied to DTCA with a clear emphasis on consumer rights, empowerment, protection and knowledge. Originalityvalue This paper provides healthcare practitioners with insight into how consumers process DTCA messages and provides guidance into how to assist in this message processing.