Direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals has led to questions of whether consumers benefit from the additional drug information, or are harmed by being induced to pursue prescriptions that are unnecessary or even dangerous. We conducted an empirical study of the relation between...

Context: This article explores the relative impact of marketing information and FDA regulatory actions in the market for prescription drugs. We examine how direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) and FDA issued precautions and boxed warnings together affect young patients' visits with physicians...