The increased spending for drugs is due to several reasons, including prescription drug marketing, said Rob Morgan, Reese Phifer fellow of marketing at the University of Alabama. "If the consumer is more aware of treatments, the manufacturer will sell more treatments," he said. In 1997, Congress OK'd more targeted broadcast advertising ofprescription drugs such as Claritin, Zyprexa and Nexium.Those ads do not have to have to include as much information as a print ad. Targeting also has become more specialized, with certain ads running at specific times, Morgan said. For example, ads for the allergy-reducing Claritin run during high-allergy season.Ads for the antidepressant Zoloft generally run during the day. "The companies try to raise consumer awareness of problems they might have through television commercials," Morgan said. He said in many cases, such as that of seasonal allergies, people would have previously used a less expensive over-the-counter drug.

Rob Morgan, head of the management and marketing department at the University of Alabama, said merchants were hedging their bets to sell their products. "The sooner that it is available, the more you are going to sell," he said.

Robert Morgan, associate dean of graduate programs management and marketing at the University of Alabama, said due to the weak economy lowering property values, the firm was likely in a good position to purchase properties like the Oxford Exchange. "They've probably gotten some deals," Morgan said.

Edited by: Robert M. Morgan, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA