Does Attorney Advertising Stimulate Adverse Event Reporting?

Abstract

Lawyers frequently sponsor television advertisements that publicize the risks associated with a particular drug. The relationship between adverse event reporting and attorney advertising is heavily contested in litigation, but remains unknown. This study investigates whether attorney advertising is associated with changes in reporting volume through the Federal Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

The study examined both weekly and monthly volume of reports to FAERS for 28 groups of drugs targeted by attorney advertising, and compared it to attorney advertising volume, relative google search volume, media hits, and FDA safety interventions over a one-year period from July 2015 to June 2016. The study revealed no significant relationship between attorney advertising volume and the volume of adverse event reports. By contrast, FDA safety actions, google search volume, and media coverage were positively correlated with FAERS reports.

Keywords: drug injury advertising, attorney advertising, adverse events, mass torts, litigation, FAERS