Drug advertising that is aimed directly at consumers can have important effects on treatment decisions. This is the conclusion of new research that tested doctors' responses to specially briefed patients who were sent to their clinics.

Patients asking for a specific drug, such as one of those in the direct to consumer advertisements shown above, are more likely to leave with a prescription than those patients who don't ask for a drug

Dr Richard Kravitz of the University of California's Department of Internal Medicine and colleagues created six standardised …