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T03-03 | Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242 |
January 13, 2003 | Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is releasing results of its survey of 500 physicians about direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs. The results confirm that DTC advertising, when done correctly, can serve positive public health functions such as increasing patient awareness of diseases that can be treated, and prompting thoughtful discussions with physicians that result in needed treatments being prescribed - often, not the treatment in the DTC advertisement. This study also demonstrates that most physicians view DTC advertisements as one of many factors that affect their practice and their interactions with patients, both positively and, in some respects, negatively.
Highlights include:
These new results confirm FDAs current understanding about DTC advertising. Ads can and do help increase patient awareness about the availability of effective treatments for their health problems. But FDAs DTC policies must help prevent potential misperceptions about benefits and risks of the advertised treatment, and any actual prescribing decision should be based careful consultation between a patient and his or her health professional, to make sure that all relevant information is considered for the patients case.
FDA will continue to scrutinize DTC ads closely to ensure that all essential information is communicated as clearly as possible, as outlined in our current policy. In addition, FDA will continue its comprehensive evaluation of DTC advertising and its impact on public health and FDAs policies and guidance.
This is the third survey conducted by FDA to help the agency assess the impact
of DTC advertising. FDA will continue to analyze these data, and will continue
its comprehensive evaluation of DTC advertising and its impact on public health,
to ensure that current DTC policies maximize the positive benefit that DTC advertising
can play in the public health arena.
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Direct-to-Consumer
Advertising of Prescription Drugs: Physician Survey (PowerPoint presentation)
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