Trust in direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising is declining among consumers. Survey findings suggest providing more information about side effects and benefits to address this issue. Some scholars also criticize the ads for their emotional content despite the key role emotion can play in health-related decision making and trust. Therefore, an experimental study was conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of functional and emotional benefit communication as well the preferred balance of side effects and benefits information provided in DTC pharmaceutical ads in terms of perceived credibility/trust and persuasive outcomes. Results suggest a message including a combination of functional and emotional benefits is considered more credible and informative than an ad describing only emotional benefits. In addition, a high amount of side effect information produces lower brand attitudes and greater perceptions of manipulative intent compared to a low amount of side effect information. Implications for pharmaceutical advertising practitioners and researchers are discussed. / text

Misuse of prescription anxiolytic and sedative medication is a widespread phenomenon in Canada and a topic of increasing concern among health care providers. While anxiolytics and sedatives have important therapeutic uses in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, these substances have psychoactive properties that render them vulnerable to misuse. Understanding the correlates and contexts of misuse is essential for developing targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This dissertation is comprised of a series of four studies conducted with adults in the Halifax Regional Municipality, recruited from the community and from a local substance use disorder treatment program. Study 1 investigated misuse of anxiolytics and sedatives among currently prescribed users of these medications in the general community. Misuse and diversion were associated with a more extensive history of other substance use and with personality dimensions, including hopelessness and impulsivity. Study 2 investigated motives for misuse among non-prescribed anxiolytic and sedative users recruited from the community. This study also included non-prescribed stimulant medication users to facilitate comparisons across differing classes of psychiatric medications. Non-therapeutic motives were associated with substance use history and, for anxiolytics and sedatives, with the personality dimension sensation-seeking. Study 3 involved an analysis of prescription regimens and misuse among all participants of Studies 1 and 2 who had ever held a prescription for an anxiolytic or sedative. Misuse of benzodiazepine anxiolytics and sedatives was more frequent than that of non-benzodiazepines, but was unrelated to prescription regimen. Study 4 examined the misuse of quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic medication with anxiolytic and sedative effects, among clients of a methadone maintenance program. Misuse of quetiapine was widespread, but was typically associated with therapeutic motives. Quetiapine misuse was linked with a history of misusing other anxiolytic and sedative drugs. Collectively, these studies provide evidence that anxiolytic and sedative misuse is a heterogeneous phenomenon encompassing varying patterns of use and motives for misuse. Furthermore, these investigations suggest that anxiolytic and sedative misuse is linked to individual-level and medication-related variables. By providing a more comprehensive characterization of this important public health issue, these findings have practical implications in both clinical and research contexts.

Since the 1990s rates of prescription drug abuse and overdose have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. As a result states have enacted and implemented new drug control policies in hopes of slowing and reversing this health epidemic. The goals of this study were to (a) determine the impact these state-based drug control policies have on prescription drug abuse and overdose and (b) deduce what leads some states to pass stricter policies than others. Results indicated that the prevalence of prescription drug overdose in 2008 largely impacted the future strength of a state’s drug control policy. States with higher rates of drug overdose and abuse in earlier years tended to develop tougher policy by 2013. In addition, states’ Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) were found to be strongly related to the growth rate of prescription drug abuse in states. While not significantly differing from national trends at first, after about five years of PDMP operation, states began to see a slow or decrease in their rates of prescription drug abuse. Though much more can be done to combat prescription drug abuse and overdose, PDMPs that provide unsolicited reports to users and are accessible to law enforcement and are an effective step to begin to curb the problem.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription products is the promotion of prescription-only medicine (POM) to the general public through commercial media. It is a new promotional tool for prescription drugs. Traditionally, pharmaceutical companies have promoted their products to licensed health care professionals only; any direct communication with consumers has been avoided. In the USA and New Zealand, however, DTC advertising is officially allowed. / In Hong Kong, DTC advertisement has never been specially prohibited, but it is not openly endorsed either. Printed advertisements of prescription only medicines started to appear in newspapers in Hong Kong after the relaxation of regulations in 1997. More and more advertisements of prescription-only drugs are appearing in local newspapers and magazines. However, the doctor is the one who makes the diagnosis of the disease and decides the appropiate prescriptions and advertising to consumers may not necessarily affect the prescribing habits of the doctors. It could be useful therefore for the development of local marketing strategies to determine the views and attitudes of physicans and consumers in Hong Kong towards DTC advertising of prescription pharmaceutical products. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 12, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 25, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Paul Bolls. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 13, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Glenn Leshner. Includes bibliographical references.

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