U.S. drug makers to review advertising complaints
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Drug makers will set up an office to review complaints about the marketing of prescription drugs, industry officials said on Tuesday as they moved to quiet rising criticism of glitzy commercials and magazine ads.
That pledge, and voluntary guidelines urging balanced and informative ads, failed to appease critics who say drug promotions exaggerate the benefits of some drugs and prompt unnecessary prescribing to patients who may not need them.
The guidelines urge companies to “spend an appropriate amount of time” educating doctors about new medicines before promoting them to consumers, according to a statement from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA. They do not establish a specific a waiting period, as some critics have advocated.
“We are committing to the American people and the medical community that we will use advertising not only to promote new medicines, but also to educate consumers about health and disease,” Johnson & Johnson Chairman and Chief Executive William Weldon said.
PhRMA will establish an “Office of Accountability” to receive comments from consumers and doctors. The office will report to the public on those comments and companies’ responses. After a year, an independent panel will review the information and make recommendations, a PhRMA statement said.
PhRMA’s “guiding principles” state that ads aimed at consumers “should be accurate and not misleading, make claims only when supported by substantial evidence, reflect balance between risks and benefits and be consistent with (Food and Drug Administration)-approved labeling.”
A broad outline of the guidelines was unveiled last month. Top industry officials were set to announce details at a conference in Dallas on Tuesday.
Consumer advocate Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, said PhRMA’s efforts were “a meaningless attempt to fool people into believing the guidelines are stronger than they really are.”
Dr. Wolfe said regulators should beef up enforcement of rules requiring ads to be accurate and balanced. Television ads should receive FDA approval before they air, and the agency should have the power to fine companies for violating ad rules, he said.
Pharmaceutical companies spent $3.3 billion on ads aimed at consumers in 2003, according to medical data company IMS Health. Research and development spending was $33.2 billion in the same year.
The new guidelines will take effect in January. Each company will decide separately whether to follow them, PhRMA said.
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