Breast and Medical Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e44393. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044393. Epub 2012 Aug 31.
The oncology market represents one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in any medical field, and printed advertising in medical journals is an important channel by which pharmaceutical companies communicate with healthcare professionals. The aim of the present study was to analyze the volume and content of and trends and changes in oncology-related advertising intended for healthcare professionals in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Information that could be included in advertisements to promote drug development and improve treatment strategies for cancer patients is discussed on the basis of the results of the analysis.
METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Overall, 6,720 advertisements covering 13,039 pages in a leading oncology medical journal published (by the American Society of Clinical Oncology) between January 2005 and December 2009 were analyzed. The advertisements targeting pharmaceuticals and clinical trials, in particular, were reviewed. A total of 6,720 advertisements covering 13,039 pages were included in the analysis. For the years 2005-2009, the percentages of total journal pages dedicated to advertising were 24.0%, 45.7%, 49.8%, 46.8%, and 49.8%, respectively. Package insert information and efficacy and safety explanations appeared in more than 80% of advertisements intended for pharmaceutical promotion. From 2005 to 2009, the overall quantity of drug advertisements decreased by approximately 13%, whereas advertisements calling for the enrollment of patients into registration trials increased by approximately 11%.
CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Throughout the study period, oncology-related pharmaceutical advertisements occupied a considerable number of pages relative to other journal content. The proportion of advertisements on ongoing clinical trials increased progressively throughout the study period.
肿瘤学市场是任何医学领域中最大的药物市场之一，医学期刊中的印刷广告是制药公司与医疗保健专业人员沟通的重要渠道。本研究旨在分析某一流肿瘤学期刊中面向医疗保健专业人员的肿瘤学相关广告的数量、内容、趋势和变化。在此基础上，根据分析结果，讨论了可包括在广告中以促进药物开发和改善癌症患者治疗策略的信息。
方法/主要发现：总体而言，分析了 2005 年 1 月至 2009 年 12 月期间由美国临床肿瘤学会（American Society of Clinical Oncology）出版的一家领先肿瘤学期刊中的 6720 则广告，共计 13039 页。特别审查了针对药品和临床试验的广告。共纳入 6720 则广告，共计 13039 页。2005-2009 年，广告占期刊总页数的百分比分别为 24.0%、45.7%、49.8%、46.8%和 49.8%。用于药品推广的广告中，超过 80%的广告包含药品说明书信息和疗效及安全性说明。2005 年至 2009 年，药物广告的总体数量减少了约 13%，而呼吁患者参加注册试验的广告则增加了约 11%。
结论/意义：在整个研究期间，肿瘤学相关药物广告在期刊内容中占据了相当大的篇幅。在整个研究期间，关于正在进行的临床试验的广告比例逐步增加。
