Keeping Them Honest

<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">The FDA is beginning a program through their Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications division which is intended to crack down on the misleading marketing and advertising of prescription drugs. These communications can be in print, delivered in presentations, seen in magazines or heard on the radio. This program includes commercials seen on TV. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">As part of the initiative, abbreviated as the Bad Ad Program- the FDA will target health care professionals who prescribe medications. The professionals will be trained to spot the inappropriate ads and shown how to report them to the FDA. Anonymity is allowed but not encouraged.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">Some issues of note are that the ads must be balanced - whether this is a drug industry "face to face", brochure or TV spot. Both the efficacy and the risks MUST be disclosed. Drugs are only to be advertised for the purpose they were approved. If an ad or spokesperson presents outcomes that applied to only a small sample of the subjects or as we say, an outlier, instead of the average results - they can be fined for false and misleading claims.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">I do not know at this time if health care professionals who do not prescribe medicines or consumers can report bad ads, but I have called the DDMAC to find out. (of course I have)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">You can read more about this program for which I am in 100% support by clicking on this </span><a href="http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/DrugMarketingAdvertisingandCommunications/ucm209384.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">link.</span></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">The bad ad program does not include OTC drugs, supplements or medical devices. A second study will involve the effects of music and graphics with regard to watering down the seriousness of adverse side effect warnings.</span>

Keeping Them Honest

The FDA is beginning a program through their Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications division which is intended to crack down on the...

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