TV drug ads may have to zoom in on side effects

**uscitizen** · 05-15-2008, 12:49 PM

TV drug ads may have to zoom in on side effects

Thursday May 15, 2:12 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Would consumers get the same warm, fuzzy message from a drug advertisement that promised to lift their mood if it also urged them to report side effects like suicidal thoughts and diarrhea?

Under a proposal regulators will consider Friday, that buyer-be-vigilant message would have to accompany the rosy messages of pharmaceutical promotions.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering requiring TV drug advertisements to carry a toll-free number where patients can report serious problems with their medication. FDA will consult a panel of outside communication experts Friday about whether displaying that language could distract viewers from other important information.

TV promotions have become a cornerstone of the pharmaceutical business since regulators opened the floodgate a decade ago. Companies spent roughly $3.5 billion on spots last year.

But some lawmakers and consumer advocates say the advertisements can encourage over-prescribing of medications before all their side effects are known. By encouraging patients to report negative reactions to FDA, they hope regulators will be able to catch drug safety problems sooner.

http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt...&date=20080515

**Thorn** · 05-15-2008, 01:36 PM

I thought they already did have to state the side effects -- perhaps now they have to emphasize them more.

I have a big problem with those ads for prescription drugs being aimed at consumers anyway. The average patient just gulps whatever the physician tells him/her to take without question, and is not in the least informed about pharmacology and which, if any, drugs might or might not be appropriate or even needed at all.

Then there are these caveats, like "tell your doctor if you have kidney disease ..." Um, if you have kidney disease it's pretty likely that your physician knows this, dontcha think?

Personally I'd like to see all those ads pulled.

Also ads for nonprescription drugs/treatments, etc., don't state clearly that they aren't FDA-approved, or what sort of testing, if any, led to their claims. Ideally I'd like to see a better informed public (right, that's going to happen) who questions these claims.