I guess commercials would still work if you branded yourself hard enough, but our culture is more like the Velcro thing, where when people ask for a “panodil” or a “pinex” they don’t really care if it’s actually a panodil or a pinex as long as it’s a headache pill with that the same sort or working chemical.
For my posttransplant meds some of the are explicitly "must" be this version. Also some meds (anti rejection) are dispensed direct from the hospital
More people want brand name for over the counter - like panodil/pinex - but sometimes this is because folks don't realize that the generic is the same drug.
Drug companies advertise to convince doctors that drug X is better than it actually is. Which is obviously bad for patients who are better served by an objective approach to prescription drugs.
But I agree that doctors don't need advertisement. Just publish a technical magazine 2 to 4 times a year with a technical description of the drugs available and let the doctors make the call.
I worked on one drug where we had to go to and tell them to stop buying it (they were still buying lots and if they return it a year later it would mess up our accounting) because there were far superior drugs available. We’re talking malpractice not to use the new drug. They thanked us for letting them know.