According to a new study conducted by the Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, confusion may arise when information about a condition is closely advertised with an ad for a prescription drug.
Pharmaceutical companies often use disease awareness communications to educate consumers about medical conditions and encourage them to consult healthcare providers regarding their symptoms. These communications typically do not mention specific drugs but focus on symptoms, risks of not treating the condition, and the importance of seeking medical advice. However, consumers can confuse these messages with prescription drug advertisements, this is known as conflation.
To study this issue, researchers conducted two experiments with asthma patients, exploring how the similarity, proximity, and frequency of disease awareness communications and drug ads impact consumer perceptions. The study found that higher similarity and closer proximity between the two types of ads increased the likelihood of conflation, particularly regarding drug benefits, but risk conflation was less common. Additionally, factors like health literacy and perceived ad effectiveness influenced conflation. These findings suggest that disease awareness ads and prescription drug ads should have greater time duration between presentation and be visually distinct to reduce consumer confusion and ensure consumers accurately understand drug risks and benefits. Learn more about the recent study here.
Last Updated on August 18, 2024 by Aimed Alliance
