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New PhRMA Policy: Not Everyone Satisfied

By Janice G. Inman

When the Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) announced it was instituting a new policy on direct-to-consumer advertising, PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin stated, “With these principles, we commit ourselves to improving the inherent educational value of advertisements. Patients need accurate and timely information and should be encouraged to discuss diseases and treatment options with their physicians. These principles will help us reach that goal.”

These words epitomize the pharmaceutical industry's official position on the efficacy and advisability of DTC advertising. Debate continues, however, in health care professional, consumer and legislative circles over whether DTC pharmaceutical advertising should be permitted at all, and, if so, how it should be regulated. Supporters of DTC advertising describe it as an educational tool to help inform consumers of an illness they might have but are unable to find a diagnosis for and of the methods of treatment they might not otherwise learn of through their doctors or other sources. Opposition to pharmaceutical advertisements being placed in the popular media generally focuses on the potential interference with the doctor/patient relationship, the ease with which advertisements can disseminate false or misleading claims, creation of a demand for more expensive drugs over less costly medications that could achieve the same goals and diversion of drug manufacturers' funds away from research and development.

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