The latest from DTC Perspectives

Vytorin to the Supermarket Aisle

According to the Star-Ledger newspaper of Newark, N.J., a Super Stop & Shop supermarket outside of New Brunswick last week featured a display and dispenser with fold-up ads for the prescription medicine Vytorin in the health-care aisle, where the store sells pain-relievers, allergy pills and aspirin. Advertising of this type is not uncommon in the pharmaceutical world, particularly in drugstores, but is customarily used for over-the-counter drugs and remedies.

 However, Vytorin has cut a lot of traditional advertising after a controversy earlier this year about the drug's efficacy in combating heart disease. Indeed, the Merck/Schering-Plough partnership that markets the drug pulled all television and print advertising for the drug. Merck spokesman Skip Irvine told the newspaper that the supermarket advertising for Vytorin focuses on the two fundamental sources of cholesterol – food and family history.

"Since supermarkets are where people routinely make choices about which food to buy, we believe this was a good place to engage consumers with education on high cholesterol and one treatment option they can discuss with their doctor," he told the Star-Ledger.

Mal Karlin, president of the New York City ad agency Karlin and Pimsler, wasn't so sure:

"On the one hand you have consumers who are on an aisle because they're taking care of themselves, and they might think about taking Vytorin if they're not aware of it. On the other hand, it's not really clear who is seeing or taking the [fold-up] advertisements."