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Prescription drugs: The Rodney Dangerfield of DTC advertising?

The year 2000 Effie Awards were presented by The New York American Marketing Association at a major affair on June 7. There were 48 categories of advertising in which the most effective campaigns in 1999 were honored - but none for drugs.

The advertising spend for prescription pharmaceuticals

was more than $1.7 billion last year. In TV advertising, it ranked seventh in total spending. Lipitor was the one prescription drug campaign cited. It was included under Health Aids along with First Alert for family safety and Acuvue Bifocal for vision correction.

Not much respect for a leading advertising category.