Now, I do question whether drugs really need to be as expensive as they are and whether drugs companies really need to spend that much money. Drug companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars over decades developing drugs, testing them and getting them approved by the FDA. Of course they are going to want to sell as much of that drug as possible to recoup their investment and make their shareholders happy. Major media advertising is the logical way to make the public aware of the hot new thing available, especially since drug companies have caught huge amounts of flack in recent years for educating (some would say "wooing") doctors directly.

I wonder how much of the advertising budget cost is included in the cost of the drug, which is paid by the insurance company and eventually passed to the consumer through increased copayments or direct payment when the insurance company doesn't cover the drug.

What do you think about the survey?

Have you ever requested a specific drug from your doctor or rheumatologist and was it prescribed to you?