Brand name antidepressants that are well-marketed to health professionals are prescribed more often than similar medications that are not well-marketed, according to researchers at Australia's Murdoch University. Dr. Steven Ward, who headed the research, said in a news release that this is a problem when patients should be "prescribed the cheapest drug that helps cure the ailment," but he adds that he does not think "all medical practitioners are irresponsible."

According to Australia's ABC News, Ward also found that doctors "rate drug company representatives as their second most important source of information on pharmaceuticals." Ward's finding indicated that brand name is "equally important" as the actual chemical make-up of the drug when doctors wrote a prescription. Ward told ABC News, "That's very surprising, regardless of medical training, I expected it to be less important, particularly for psychiatrists."

Dr. Ward's findings will be published in the US Journal of Macromarketing later this year. The article will look at health systems in the US and Australia.