Capitol Hill panelists want FDA intervention in DTC drug advertising: officials say DTC ads are dangerous and misleading.(Prescription Drugs)(Panel Discussion)

Publication: Medicine & Health

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Eli Research, Inc.

As more revealing data become available on pharmaceutical companies' direct-to-consumer advertising and its effects on prescribing trends, panelists from influential organizations have shed some light on the real impact of DTC ads--and why the Food and Drug Administration hasn't stepped in yet.

At the Sept. 29 Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing concerning DTC drug advertising's impact on seniors' health and health care costs, committee chairman Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) asked panelists to address research suggesting that advertising encourages individuals to learn more about symptoms of and treatment for undiagnosed conditions. He also asked the panelists to weigh whether DTC advertisements' content appropriately inform individuals of new prescription drugs' benefits and risks, and whether the ads are aimed more at building product loyalty.

Noting that DTC advertising has quadrupled since 1998, Gordon pressed for further exploration of prescribing behavior--especially in connection with how it affects consumer safety and overall prescription drug consumption. From a positive standpoint, DTC advertising may encourage people who might otherwise not seek health care to see their doctors, particularly in cases of individuals suffering from a mental illness, such as depression or bipolar disorder, he said.

Gordon cited a 2003 study showing that approximately 25 percent of surveyed individuals who...

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