Pharmaceutical Industry

AMA Appeals for Moratorium on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs

CHICAGO - The American Medical Association announced its new policy this week urging a temporary moratorium on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs and implantable medical devices.

A temporary moratorium on DTC advertising of prescribed drugs and medical devices will benefit both the patient and physician, said AMA President-elect Ronald Davis. Physicians will have the opportunity to become better educated on the pros and cons of prescription drug uses before prescribing them, and will be better able to determine when they are best suited for their patients' medical needs.

This policy decision is the result of the AMA’s annual meeting in which its House of Delegates also recommended guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to follow when preparing DTC advertising.

As part of these recommendations, the AMA wants each advertisement to accurately reflect both the benefits and the effectiveness of the drug as determined by clinical trials.

The AMA is also suggesting that drug manufacturers portray a fair balance between the benefits and risks of their products by providing comparable time or space while presenting warnings, precautions and potential adverse reactions in a clear and understandable way without distraction of content.

In order to implement these guidelines, the AMA wants to require pre-approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all DTC drug advertisements.

Although the AMA has recommended a temporary moratorium, they have not specified the length of time it should entail.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, has suggested that there should be a two-year moratorium on DTC advertisements for new prescription drugs because the estimated $2.8 billion spent annually on this type of advertising contributes to escalating health care costs.