Pharmaceutical companies continue to reach deep in their pockets to advertise directly to consumers with spending levels escalating to $905 million for the first half of 1999 - a 43% jump from the first half of 1998, according to a report by IMS Health. Television occupies the biggest portion of the direct-to-consumer advertising pie, accounting for 59% of all spending levels totaling $529 million (up 68% from last year).
DTC print advertising shot up 20% during this period to $370 million, or 41% of all spending.
Total promotional spending targeting physicians and others in the medical industry inched up 4%, reaching $2.6 billion.
See chart below for top 10 pharmaceutical advertisers. (IMS Health, Nancy Duckwitz, 610/834-5338)
| Top 10 DTC Advertisers | |
| Advertisers | Total Ad $ |
| Schering-Plough | $129.7 |
| Glaxo Wellcome | $114.4 |
| Pfizer | $100.3 |
| AstraZeneca | $86.5 |
| Merck | $64.8 |
| Johnson & Johnson | $63.2 |
| Warner-Lambert | $43.8 |
| Pharmacia & Upjohn | $37.1 |
| Knoll Pharmaceutical | $36.9 |
| American Home Products | $36.5 |