Situation

This article looks at how consumers used a pharmaceutical Web site to learn about a particular disease or product. The article probes whether visitors used the Web site to decide which drug was right for them and whether they actually planned to request the product from their doctor. Gender and age differences in the use of Web site information were also examined. Increasing use of the Internet and data that show that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs empowers the patient to take a more active role in his/her choice of medications makes this article important for marketers as well as regulators.