Researchers Point to Prescription Drug Ads’ High Complexity

Prescription drug advertising is “highly complex” and warrants additional research to assess users’ understanding of the data displays and the “beneficial effect” of the disclosures, says a new study.

Writing in Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, researchers from the FDA and RTI International, an independent nonprofit research institute, looked at the scientific data displays that communicate clinical trial results in promotional materials aimed at healthcare providers.

Half (49 percent) of the displays were categorized as “complex” and included survival curves, line graphs or bar graphs with complex features.  Nearly all (93 percent) of the complex displays included plain language restatements of the findings, the article said.

To make informed prescribing decisions, healthcare providers must interpret this complex information, the authors also state, yet “a qualitative study of U.S. physicians found that many did not have a sufficient understanding of certain terms and concepts found in prescription drug promotional materials.”

Related Topics