Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse purpose is to educate the public that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that frivolous lawsuits cost everyone. Direct-to-Consumer helps educate the public about prescription drugs. CALA and DTC are dedicated to getting their message out by taking advantage of a variety of media such as newspaper, magazine, television, and radio. .
Although CALA and DTC both want to educate the public through advertisement, there are some concerns about these organizations. For example, DTC ads provide only a minimal amount of education. Doctors complain that more & more patients are presenting them with a list of drugs they would like to try, many of which are neither time tested nor cost effective. Consumer groups claim that one cause of the increase in health care costs is the explosion of DTC ads and the unnecessary medication results. According to Public Citizen and the Center for Justice, CALA claim to be supported by individual donations when in fact mostly large corporate donors that wants to be shielded from lawsuits fund them. .
On the plus side, the advertising seems to work for both DTC and CALA. The sales of the heavily advertised drugs increased by 32 percent compared to 14 percent for other drugs. DTC believe people will be more willing to discuss symptoms they have seen referred to in advertisement. CALA have achieved passage of legislation designed to limit consumer rights to sue manufacturers and they have conducted successful "voter education" campaigns to unseat judges who favor expanded consumer rights. CALA believe once the public is aware they will reject frivolous lawsuits.
In summary, DTC and CALA advertising is here to stay. Who ends up paying the piper? You and me, that's who! We all pay and we all lose.
