Correction: Advertising in Medical Journals: Should Current Practices Change?

P eer-reviewed medical journals are generally considered to be a source of unbiased and reliable information about drugs. But at the same time, most medical journals contain advertisements, almost all of which are for drugs, and which are, by their very nature, biased toward promoting sales of that drug. In this article, we address the purpose and effects of journal advertising, the possible reasons for pharmaceutical product domination of advertising pages, and the current policies and practices of representative journals. We also make recommendations for change. Advertisements are intended to increase or maintain market share for targeted products. Pharmaceutical companies value print advertisements because they increase sales effectively [1]. In a survey of 125 pharmaceutical marketers, journal advertising tied with detailing (pharmaceutical sales representative visits to doctors) as the most effective promotional and educational vehicle for " announcing a new product/new indication " [2]. America), has been quoted as stating, " Advertising in medical publications is highly regarded by pharmaceutical marketers because it has the ability to generate rapid awareness based on its cost-effi cient reach/frequency " [3]. In 2003, drug companies spent US$448 million on advertising in medical journals [4]. Scott Neslin, a marketing professor who conducted the Return on Investment Analysis of Pharmaceutical Promotion study, found that the overall return on investment (calculated as the average increase in revenues per incremental dollar spent in any given month) on journal advertisements was US$5.00. The range was US$2.22–US$6.86, with larger and older brands at the higher end (an executive summary of the study is available at http:⁄⁄www. rxpromoroi.org/rapp/index. html). Another industry study of 45 advertising campaigns found that journal advertising returned US$3.05 for advertising of unique products and US$2.46 for advertising of competitive established products (drugs that remain profi table despite competition—for example, sildenafi l [Viagra], which remains profi table despite now sharing the erectile dysfunction market with tadalafi l [Cialis] and vardenafi l [Levitra]) [5]. Long-term returns may be even higher. While an advertisement in consumer magazines reaches potential purchasers individually, a pharmaceutical advertisement viewed by one physician could result in dozens or hundreds of drug purchases, especially if the drug is used over the long term. Although physicians believe that they prescribe based on impartial evidence, advertising has been shown to increase prescriptions for targeted drugs in a dose-related manner even when other promotional efforts are held constant [6]. Although consumer goods are primarily sold by advertising, pharmaceutical …