That's 10 times more unnerving though. Especially given the very recent opioid prescription crisis.

Absolutely. I feel it is important to point out, though, given the number of people here who think these budgets are driven by American DTC ads.

You can read my other comment [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22127805] about my experience at a pharma-hosted dinner for my wife's former internship mentor (a doctor).

Given that experience, I'd not be surprised if pharma spend a ton of money on direct-to-doctor marketing.