Physicians and patient advocates are expressing concern about the prevalence of drug advertisements on no-cost mobile phone applications that offer data on prescription drugs, the New York Times reports.
About the Apps
The no-cost apps, offered by Epocrates, allow physicians to search for information on medication dosing, drug interactions and insurance coverage.
However, physicians using the apps must sift through advertisements promoting various drugs. The apps provide tailored marketing messages based on a physician's search and prescription histories.
Epocrates said its products are used by 320,000 physicians, as well as one million nurses, pharmacists and medical students. The company said drugmakers receive an average of $3 in increased sales for every dollar they spend on advertising on Epocrates' DocAlerts app.
Advocates' Concerns
Some doctors and patient advocates have questioned whether the advertisements on Epocrates' apps influence physicians' prescribing decisions.
Daniel Carlat -- a psychiatrist who writes a blog and newsletter on medical issues -- said some physicians will not have the time to wade through the advertisements to reach the drug data they need.
Adriane Fugh-Berman -- a professor of medicine at Georgetown University and the founder of advocacy group PharmedOut -- said the advertisements on the Epocrates app might promote drugs that are more expensive and less effective than other options. She said, "With targeted ads in Google, you may buy something that's an unwise purchase. But when a physician is influenced in Epocrates, it's the patient who's bearing the financial and health risk."
Position of Drug Companies, Epocrates
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said the Epocrates apps have been an effective avenue for providing drug data to physicians.
Freda Lewis Hall, CMO at Pfizer, said, "The beauty of the work we do with Epocrates is that we literally put ourselves in the palm of [a physician's] hand."
Epocrates said it strives to find a balance between the needs of medical professionals and drugmakers. The company said, "The credibility of our brand is dependent in large part on the medical community's continued perception of us as independent from our health care industry clients, particularly pharmaceutical companies."
Rosemary Crane, president and CEO of Epocrates, said, "Our first commitment is the value to the physician" (Wilson, New York Times, 7/28).