TY - JOUR
T1 - Placebogenic potential is no reason to favour pharmaceutical advertising
AU - Biegler, Paul
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Advertisements for pharmaceuticals may promote placebo responses by generating an expectation of therapeutic success. Some cite this as reason to favour Direct to Consumer Advertising of Prescription Pharmaceuticals (DTCA). Against this, I show placebo responses to emanate from beliefs rendered unjustified by the influence of a conditioning process. I argue that drug safety and efficacy are material properties and that unjustified beliefs in these domains entail costs to autonomy that outweigh any prudential gains attending a placebo response. I conclude that its placebogenic potential ought not to count as reason to favour DTCA.
AB - Advertisements for pharmaceuticals may promote placebo responses by generating an expectation of therapeutic success. Some cite this as reason to favour Direct to Consumer Advertising of Prescription Pharmaceuticals (DTCA). Against this, I show placebo responses to emanate from beliefs rendered unjustified by the influence of a conditioning process. I argue that drug safety and efficacy are material properties and that unjustified beliefs in these domains entail costs to autonomy that outweigh any prudential gains attending a placebo response. I conclude that its placebogenic potential ought not to count as reason to favour DTCA.
UR - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10551-013-1805-0#page-1
U2 - 10.1007/s10551-013-1805-0
DO - 10.1007/s10551-013-1805-0
M3 - Article
VL - 123
SP - 145
EP - 155
JO - Journal of Business Ethics
JF - Journal of Business Ethics
SN - 0167-4544
IS - 1
ER -