Just What the Patient Ordered? Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and the Demand for Pharmaceutical Products

Three out of four patients who ask a physician for a drug get it prescribed. Do patients really wield so much influence? Empirical analysis of patient-level prescription claims reveals that direct-to-consumer advertising does impact the choice probability but there are two caveats. First, the impact of promotions aimed directly at physicians is significantly higher. Consequently, advertising affects the treatment probability benefiting all...