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Taking sides: Does Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Enhance Patient Choice?
You may choose any taking sides issue and then use the outline below to answer the questions. Please
use complete, thought out sentences when answering. A completed assignment should be 1 to 2 pages
in length. You may use a separate word document and then attach the completed assignment.
TAKING SIDES ANALYSIS (10 points)
Name: Jolene Duran
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Course: Biology 1090-051
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Book: Biology 1090, Human Biology Salt Lake City College Taking Sides Readings
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Issue number: ___3____ Title of issue: Does Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Enhance Patient
Choice?
1. Author and major thesis of the Yes sides: Paul Antony
YES: Paul Antony, Chief Medical Officer of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of
America (PhRMA), asserts that direct-to-consumer advertising can be a powerful tool in educating
millions of people and improving their health through better communication with physicians,
better adherence to medications regimens, and more active involvement in their own health care.
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2. Author and major thesis of the No side: David A Kessler and Douglas A. Levy,
NO: Physicians David A. Kessler and Douglas A. Levy contend that as a result of direct-toconsumer advertising, consumers ultimately take medicines they may not need, spend money on
brans medicines that may be no better than alternatives, or avoid healthy behaviors.
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3. Briefly state in your own words two facts presented by each side.
Concerning the YES side, people were more likely to talk to their doctor about diseases and
treatments that normally would not come up; because of their exposure from T.V. and magazines,
about such topics. Many medications being used today lead to fewer hospitalizations.
Concerning the NO side, DTC ads don’t always tell the whole truth when talking about Side
effects. Most of the advertising money was spent on sleep disorders; (while serious) other more
serious diseases were not as talked about.
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4. Briefly state in your own words two opinions presented by each side.
Side YES: Doctor, patient relationships improved because of conversation that occur after the
patient is exposed to these advertising. People are more likely to bring up conditions that are
considered embarrassing, because of exposure to ads.
Side NO: Some doctors felt pressured when their patients are asking for certain prescriptions.
People are more likely to make unhealthy choices because they think prescriptions from
advertising will help them make such short cuts.
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5. Briefly identify as many fallacies (lack of reasoning or validity) on the Yes side as you can.
Side YES:

Advertising to the public is for the publics over all good
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This kind of advertising is educating the public
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Because of these kinds of advertising people are becoming more involved in their own
health care.
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6. Briefly identify as many fallacies (lack of reasoning or validity) on the No side as you can.
Side NO:

People will take medications they don’t need
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People will avoid the healthy way because of exposer to these types of advertising, they
will just take the quick fix
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7. All in all, which author impressed you as being the most empirical in presenting his or her thesis? Why?
I was most impressed by the YES side, while I don’t think the advertising is only in the best
interest of the public, I feel it is better to have the options, and choose for ourselves what we feel
is best. We cannot get prescriptions without a doctors approval so at least people are not abusing
their bodies or end up taking something they really don’t need, and at the very least, at least a
doctor is monitoring their consumption.
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8. Are there any reasons to believe the writers are biased? If so, why do they have these biases?
When the YES side talks about advertising for public’s awareness and suggest nothing more, this
is biased to me, because no one especially a company would advertise without making a profit; it
is not fare to make that claim; but they do it for money, and since they can with what seems to be
a clear reason why not take advantage, maybe they really will help people as they claim, at least
they will make money.
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9. Which side (Yes or No) do you personally feel is most correct now that you have reviewed the material
in these articles? Why?
Personally I feel the NO side is most correct because I think many people myself included feel
persuaded by advertising that focus on sleep disorders, bladder problems and depression; (at
times I think we can all relate) I feel they express it in such a way that everyone can relate, and it
takes a strong mind to think about it and think nay, that’s not for me. I’m sure many people bring
up problems to their doctors that would normally not come up because the doctor does not feel it
needs to.
I don’t think it’s totally bad, since patiences get less and less time with their doctors, especially
the people going to clinics need to bring up concerns they are having about their own bodies. Still
I think out of sight out of mind, if we didn’t see it, we wouldn’t feel we had it. And if we had it, we
would bring it up to our doctor because it would be a problem we are dealing with all the time. In
short the advertising could not be doing as much good as claimed.
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