Alleged Direct Promotion of Prescription Drugs to Consumers

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Abstract
To the Editor: Boots Pharmaceuticals, a British firm, is now launching a major program to promote a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent — the Rufen brand of ibuprofen — directly to the consumer. Such a campaign is cause for concern to the medical profession, since most lay people are ill equipped to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of drugs.To challenge the market position of the American manufacturer of ibuprofen (Upjohn, maker of Motrin), Boots has devised an ingenious program: first of all, Boots will undersell Upjohn, cutting the price from approximately $19 to $14 for 100 tablets of Rufen (400-mg . . .