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Genetic testing
goes DTC
More marketers are bypassing ihe middleman these days and are going straight
to the consumer lo promote their
healthcare products. The latest company
10 enter the DTC arena is Salt Lake Citybased Myriad Genetics, which is testing
a first-of-its-kind campaign to market
medical tesls that detect hereditar)' susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer.
The DTC ann of the campaign is
scheduled to lun from September
through November and will coincide
with National Breast Cancer Month in
CU'tober. Plans are underway to test the
direct-response television, pnnt, and
radio campaign in Denver and Atlanta.
The ads will direct consumers to call a
toll-free number or visit a Web site for
more information on the test.
To raise awareness among primary
care providers, the BRACAnalysis test
also is being marketed nationwide to
200,000 physicians who have been contacted through professional organizations, conferences, and insurance companies.
The BRACAnalysis test looks for
mutations in two genes that impart a
high risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Myriad Genetics, which developed the
lest and discovered ihe two problematic
genes, said thai v^'omen who have mutations on the genes have up to an 87%
chance of contracting breast cancer and
an up to 44% chance of contracting
ovarian cancer. After discovering a
genetic mutation, women can choose to
receive extra monitoring and care to
prevent cancer before it develops.
Some doctors question the need to
market such a lest, especially in light of
us cost. The test costs $745 to $2,760,
and doctors estimate that only 5% to
10% of cancers are genetically based.
The company, however, maintains that
ihe life-saving opportunities of the test
are too valuable to neglect.
Haggling for healthcare
Rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs are leading more consumers to negotiate the
price of the healthcare they receive, according to a Harris Interactive online survey.
The survey, which polled 2,118 adults, reports that dickering fora lower healthcare
bill is far more common in those patients in fair or poor health. The data also suggest
that the number of people who will try to negotiate for a lower price will rise significantly as healthcare costs rise.
Of those surveyed, 13% have negotiated with their doctor, M% with their pharmacist, 12% with their dentist, and 10% with a hospital. About half of those who
tried to negotiate 3 lower price said they were successful, as the graph below shows.
"Were you successful in getting to pay a lower price?"
Pharmacist 48%
Doctor 54%
Dentist 47%
Hospital 45%
Source: Harris Interactive
Why is this man smiling?
Dircct-to-consumer prescription drug ads have been a boon to the pharmaceutical
industry in recent years, so it should come as no surprise that other products are starting to imitate their tactics. A humorous television commercial for a nutritional supplement claiming to be a "natural male enhancement" mimics the characteristics of a DTC
ad by including a stylized logo with what appears to be its active ingredient underneath
the brand name, it even features an 800 number at the end and advises viewers to consult their doctor for more information.
However, Enzyte, a product of Cincinnati-based LifeKey Healthcare Inc., is a nutritional supplement and not a prescription drug, so it's not regulated by the Food and
Drug Administration's guidelines on prescription drug advertising.
There are no rules requiring nutritional supplements to follow prescription-drug
guidelines in their advertising, but companies are prohibited from claiming these products cure diseases and dysfunctions. General claims that supplements can improve
health or well-being are allowed. LifeKey makes no claim that Enzyte can increase a
man's penis size, but does claim it can lead to fuller erections and a better sex life. The
"Smiling Bob" ads, so called because the character sports a fixed grin, have run on
national cable stations, including Comedy Central, ESPN, and MSNBC since February.
But not everyone is amused by Smiling Bob. Cable news network CNBC pulled the
Enzyte ads earlier this year, saying the ads failed to meet the network's "standards and
practices" rules. However, the spots are definitely gaining attention for the product. On
April 29, Internet search engine Lycos, in its "Lycos 50" report, said queries for Enzyte
"have exhibited a remarkably consistent growth curve," quadrupling since mid-March.
MHS Fall 2002