An Empirical Study on the Impact of Social Media Promotion of Branded Drugs on the Health Behavior of Indian Patients

Introduction

Usage of social media platforms for health information has increased its importance in recent past. Disastrous effect of covid-19 pandemic has also influenced common people to increase their traffic in various social media platforms like - Facebook, twitter, YouTube. Changing lifestyles followed by increasing stress and a try to stay connected with the virtual world has forced people to stay glued into social media platforms. It has been observed in many research that at present normal public, patients, health professional and health service provider Statistica report has observed a gradual increasing trend in social media penetration. In India people using internet and access to social media platforms has increased from 0.97 billion to 2.65 billion from 2010 to 2018 and it is projected to increase to over 3 billion in 2018 (Report from Statistia, 2020) Fetching of health-related information from the social media platforms has been the recent trend. It has gained importance and popularity because of ease of accessing multiple health related information on variety of health-related topics. Social media health information has not only helped the netizens to access multiple health related information at a click but also it has been helped them to stay emotionally connected to other people having the same medial problems or similar health issues (Zhao & Zhang, 2017). Popular social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media platform provide patients an opportunity to become an active and informed customer (Benetoli., 2017). It acts as a ready reckoner of health related videos, blogs for the patients and public. Patients may not always look for information, but also contribute their expertise, experiences, and symptoms about health care. Social media platforms may also be used to post reviews on health items, drugs, and physicians. Patients with comparable ailments can build bonds and create health communities and groups Social media connections provide patients with information, emotional support, and social interaction, allowing them to manage with their disease. By the second week of the lockdown (March 28 to April 3), time spent on social networking apps had grown to 5 hours per week in India (as per a recent statistica report, 2020). Positive messages on various networks helped individuals stay upbeat and encouraged. However, there have been allegations that medical misinformation and unconfirmed content are also creating uncertainty and alarm. As a result, many social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are directing users to trustworthy sources such as WHO websites and local health authority websites.

Pharmaceutical products in the market are broadly categorized as branded drugs and generic drugs. Branded drugs, also referred to as brand-name or innovator drugs, are developed, patented, and marketed by a specific pharmaceutical company. These drugs are protected by patents that grant exclusive rights to the manufacturer for a certain period. Branded drugs are introduced with a unique brand name and are often associated with significant investments in research and development. On the other hand, generic drugs are developed and brought to the market after the expiration of patents protecting the original branded drugs. These drugs contain the same active ingredients as their branded counterparts, have identical dosage forms, strengths, and routes of administration. However, generic drugs are generally marketed using their non-proprietary name instead of a brand name (Food and Drug Administration, 2020).