John, if those ads did not work, Google would be bankrupt. We have had discussions here already about drug reps. A number of our colleagues regularly interact with these folks and have voiced opinions stating how informative they are about new drugs. I strongly disagree, and refuse to see them, feeling that they are dishonest and intrusive. Yet, they clearly make a lot of money for the pharmaceutical industry or they would no longer exist, and all providers would only use The Medical Letter or UpToDate to make treatment decisions. The technique in the article is another extension; one more way to assure that a physician writes for a specific, brand name drug regardless of its benefit over less costly and/or more effective options. And I think it will work just fine.
