INTRODUCTION Genetic testing remains low among racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States. We aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of awareness of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests and the prevalence of genetic test use in a population-based sample of adults in Puerto Rico. METHODS We analyzed data from adults aged 18 years or older who completed information on g...

In the July 2006 issue of P&T, I discussed the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA’s) annual review, Pharmaceutical Industry Profile, to give readers an appreciation of how the pharmaceutical industry spends its money.1 Profile 2008 provides a straightforward, “by the numbers” overview of the drug industry.2 Similar to the 2006 review, the 2008 report focuses on how fa...

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT), which includes both the advertising and offer of genetic tests directly to the public [1], existed for many years before the, now famous, companies such as deCODE and 23andme made their appearance on the market [2]. However, the sharp increase in companies offering DTC-GT over the last 3 years has sparked much regulatory and ethical debate [3–5]. The ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs-etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod. DESIGN Controlled quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. POPULATION Representative sample of 2700 Canadian pharmacies and prescription data from 50 US Medica...