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The impact of direct-to-consumer television and magazine advertising on antidepressant use

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  • Avery, Rosemary J.
  • Eisenberg, Matthew D.
  • Simon, Kosali I.

Abstract

We examine whether exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for antidepressant drugs affects individual use of these medications among those suffering from depression. Prior studies have almost exclusively relied on making connections between national or market-level advertising volume/expenditures and national or individual-level usage of medications. This is the first study to: estimate the impact of individual-level exposure to DTCA on individual-level use of antidepressants; estimate the impact of individual-level exposure to television DTCA on individual-level use in any drug class; consider the relative and interactive impact of DTCA in two different media in any drug class; and, consider the heterogeneity of impact among different populations in an econometric framework in the antidepressant market. There are also important limitations to note. Unlike prior market level studies that use monthly data, we are limited to aggregated annual data. Our measures of potential advertising exposure are constructed assuming that media consumption patterns are stable during the year. We are also not able to study the impact of advertising on use of antidepressants for conditions other than depression, such as anxiety disorders. We find that: DTCA impacts antidepressant use in a statistically and economically significant manner; that these effects are present in both television and magazine advertising exposure but do not appear to have interactive effects; are stronger for women than for men in the magazine medium, but are about equally strong for men and women in the TV medium; and, are somewhat stronger for groups suffering from more severe forms of depression. The overall size of the effect is a 6–10 percentage point increase in antidepressant use from being exposed to television advertising; the corresponding magazine effects are between 3 and 4 percentage points.

Suggested Citation

  • Avery, Rosemary J. & Eisenberg, Matthew D. & Simon, Kosali I., 2012. "The impact of direct-to-consumer television and magazine advertising on antidepressant use," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 705-718.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:31:y:2012:i:5:p:705-718
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2012.05.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dave, Dhaval & Dench, Daniel & Grossman, Michael & Kenkel, Donald S. & Saffer, Henry, 2019. "Does e-cigarette advertising encourage adult smokers to quit?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Katharina E. Blankart & Frank R. Lichtenberg, 2020. "Are patients more adherent to newer drugs?," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 605-618, December.
    3. Katolik, Aleksandra & Oswald, Andrew J., 2017. "Antidepressants for Economists and Business-School Researchers: An Introduction and Review," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 71(4), pages 448-463.
    4. Suppliet, Moritz, 2020. "Umbrella branding in pharmaceutical markets," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    5. Donald Kenkel & Alan Mathios & Hua Wang, 2015. "Menthol Cigarette Advertising and Cigarette Demand," NBER Working Papers 21790, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Helen W. Sullivan & Amie C. O’Donoghue & Molly Lynch & Mihaela Johnson & Christine Davis & Douglas J. Rupert, 2019. "The Effect of Including Quantitative Information on Multiple Endpoints in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Television Advertisements," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 39(8), pages 975-985, November.
    7. Alpert, Abby & Lakdawalla, Darius & Sood, Neeraj, 2023. "Prescription drug advertising and drug utilization: The role of Medicare Part D," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    8. Terris-Prestholt, Fern & Windmeijer, Frank, 2016. "How to sell a condom? The impact of demand creation tools on male and female condom sales in resource limited settings," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 107-120.
    9. Katolik, Aleksandra & Oswald, Andrew J., 2017. "Antidepressants for Economists and Business-School Researchers: An Introduction and Review," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 338, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    10. Eisenberg, Matthew D. & Avery, Rosemary J. & Cantor, Jonathan H., 2017. "Vitamin panacea: Is advertising fueling demand for products with uncertain scientific benefit?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 30-44.
    11. Chesnes, Matthew & Jin, Ginger Zhe, 2019. "Direct-to-consumer advertising and online search," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-22.
    12. Donald Kenkel & Alan Mathios & Hua Wang, 2018. "Advertising and Health: A Case Study of Menthol Cigarette Advertising and Cigarette Demand," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(3), pages 263-286, Summer.
    13. Robert Nathenson & Michael R. Richards, 2018. "Do coverage mandates affect direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceuticals? Evidence from parity laws," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 321-336, September.
    14. Gregory J. Critchley & Gregory S. Zaric, 2019. "The impact of pharmaceutical marketing on market access, treatment coverage, pricing, and social welfare," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(8), pages 1035-1051, August.
    15. Giuliano Masiero & Fabrizio Mazzonna & Olaf Verbeek, 2018. "What drives the rise of antidepressant consumption? Evidence from Switzerland," IdEP Economic Papers 1801, USI Università della Svizzera italiana.
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    18. Cardon & Showalter, 2015. "The effects of direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals on adherence," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(50), pages 5432-5444, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Depression; DTC advertising; Magazine; Television; Pharmaceutical;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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