Understanding Risk Statements Within Drug Injury Advertising: An Abstract

Televised drug injury ads, sponsored by law firms or legal referral networks, identify injured consumers for lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies. They generally consist of warnings to the public about dangerous side effects associated with a particular drug and conclude with a phone number for consumers to call if they have experienced the side effect. Because the drugs discussed in the ads remain available on the market, drug injury ads have the potential to influence the prospective medical decisions of viewers. This research considers how differences in the content of drug injury ads affect consumer perceptions and intentions toward the featured medications. We report the results of two experiments using modified versions of actual drug injury ads.