Background
Pharmacological companies, especially those in the United States, spend a lot of money on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. DTCA is typically described as any promotional attempt by pharmaceutical companies to expose the public to prescription drug information using media. Advertisements and videos appear in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, video, internet websites, nonmedical journals, pharmacy brochures, and directly mailed letters. A frequently used typology is based on criteria such as a central message, the naming of the brand, and situational factors. The advantages ascribed to DTCA were reported to include cognitive (to inform), affective (to persuade), and behavioral (to remind consumers to take action) aspects [All other countries except for New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, Canada [A first consideration is the basic observation that digital communication cannot be stopped at national borders [The aim of this study was to address the question of how the European public might react were the ban on DTCA for prescription drugs to be lifted.