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TV ads are pointing consumers to drug products' Web sites - Chain Pharmacy NEW YORK -- About 13 million consumers visit pharmaceutical product Web sites after seeing a drug advertised on TV, according to a newly released study from Manhattan Research, a health care consulting firm.
The so-called ePharma Consumer study found consumers view the journey from pharmaceutical advertising to obtaining and filling a prescription as a learning process, relying on numerous resources to pick up information along the way.
Research shows that consumers are searching the Web for information on side effects, drug-drug interactions, drugs used to treat specific medical conditions and information to supplement a visit to the doctor, according to Manhattan Research senior health analyst Ashley Wendus.
"There is evidence that some ePharma consumers use information they find online to prepare for, and supplement, a visit to their doctor," said Wendus. "Our research shows that some consumers go as far as to print information they find online to take with them to an appointment.
"As Web sites have evolved to include a heartier menu of service and information options, consumers have begun taking full advantage," she added.
The number of consumers looking to the Web for more information has tripled over the past three years, while the use of 800-number call centers has remained stable, according to the study. Online coupons, information on how to take the product as a new patient, and loyalty marketing programs are other ways Web sites attract consumers.
Data also show that a pharmacist's recommendation factors into the decision of some consumers to visit a product Web site.
"There is still a gap between requesting a prescription from the doctor and actually picking that product up from the pharmacy, due in part to many different factors ranging from the doctor advising a different treatment or potential cost issues for that particular product," Wendus told rug Store News.
The ePharma consumer study also found more patients are going online after filling a new prescription in an attempt to gain additional information.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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