Affiliations: Texas State University, Department of Psychology, 601 University Avenue, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA E-mail: Virginia_Fenter@yahoo.com
Abstract: This literature review outlines a brief history of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. Concerns about the safety and effectiveness of DTCA, particularly as it relates to the marketing of Eli Lilly's widely-used anti-depressant drug Fluoxetine (Prozac), are also discussed. Additionally, this paper raises questions about Fluoxetine's stimulant-like properties, and highlights various concerns about the way in which the Food and Drug Administration's product safety trials were conducted during Fluoxetine's approval process.
Keywords: Advertising, anti-depressants, clinical trials, consumer psychology, consumer safety, deceptive advertising, depression, depression treatment, direct to consumer advertising, DTCA, drug companies, drug lawsuits, drug recalls, drug research, drug testing, drugs, Eli Lilly, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Fluoxetine, marketing, medicine, off-label, pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, product liability, product testing, Prozac, psychiatry, psychology, psychotropics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, suicide, suicide prevention, Zoloft
