Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2015
ISSN
0028-4793
Publisher
Massachusetts Medical Society
Language
en-US
Abstract
As one of only two countries that permit direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceuticals, the United States tasks the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with regulating that advertising to ensure that it doesn't mislead consumers. When a drug maker publishes or broadcasts a claim that its drug has benefits in a particular disease, the FDA requires it to include information on the product's risks as well. Since it's not feasible for companies to include all the important information about their products in a television ad, the FDA requires them to refer viewers to more complete information, such as that in a printed magazine ad. Companies have tended to comply with this requirement by supplementing colorful, persuasive ads with one or two pages of dry text providing the required disclosures, often simply using language that the FDA has approved for other purposes, such as package inserts for prescribers. But research shows that most patients who attempt to read these disclosures find them difficult to understand, and many don't even try to make sense of them. Now, the FDA is in the process of adjusting its DTCA rules, aiming to provide greater assurance that patients receive due warning of the most significant risks — but its tweaks probably don't go far enough to really empower consumers to make smart decisions about the drugs they put into their bodies.
Recommended Citation
Christopher Robertson,
New DTCA Guidance — Enough to Empower Consumers?
,
in
373
The New England Journal of Medicine
1085
(2015).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/971
Comments
From The New England Journal of Medicine, Christopher T. Robertson, New DTCA Guidance — Enough to Empower Consumers?, Volume 373, Page 1085 Copyright © (2015) Massachusetts Medical Society. Reprinted with permission. https://www.nejm.org/author-center/permissions