Inappropriate prescribing to the elderly is a serious problem and is one factor contributing to adverse drug reactions in this group. It is well-known that reliance on promotional literature for prescribing information leads to less appropriate prescribing. This study surveyed ads in two major Canadian medical journals which portrayed people who appeared to be over 65 years of age. The elderly were shown in just over 7 per cent of the ads. These ads did not appear to take into account the special drug needs of the elderly. Ads featuring the elderly could lead to inappropriate prescribing because of their pictorial content, their written content or a combination of both. Further research into this area is needed, specifically directed at factors which influence prescribing to the elderly. In the meantime physicians dealing with the elderly should critically analyse the message in drug advertisements and be aware of the risks of using them for therapeutic information.
