Democrat backs advertising limits for medicines
By Lisa Richwine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key Democrat made a renewed call on Monday for giving regulators the power to ban advertisements to consumers when a new medicine first reaches the market and risks are not fully known.
Rep. Henry Waxman listed the idea as one of many he would like to pursue as chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee after a new Congress convenes in January and starts to tackle a range of health-care issues.
“It is in these first few years of a drug’s life that drug companies often aggressively market their products and engage in direct-to-consumer advertising. This increases the number of consumers exposed to safety risks of new products long before those risks are truly understood,” Waxman said at a conference sponsored by The Prescription Project, a group critical of industry marketing.
The California Democrat supported congressional efforts in 2007 to allow the Food and Drug Administration to ban television commercials for a new medicine for up to three years if officials decided it was necessary to protect the public health. The ban would not apply to all drugs, but officials would decide case by case if limits were needed.
“That concept makes a great deal of sense and can provide FDA an important tool to protect the public health,” Waxman said.
The 2007 attempt failed after some lawmakers objected it would violate constitutional protections of free speech. Instead, Congress gave the FDA authority to fine companies for running false or misleading promotions.
Drugmakers’ television commercials have drawn fire for over promising benefits, minimizing side effects and contributing to excessive prescribing.
Companies say the ads help inform people about new treatments that may help them. Voluntary guidelines adopted by drugmakers call for companies to refrain from consumer advertising for “an appropriate amount of time” so they can inform doctors about new medicines first.
Waxman also said he was committed to, among other things, creating a legal path for approval of generic copies of biotechnology medicines and giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco.
(Editing by Andre Grenon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Related Posts:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, hampered by increasing globalization and a rise in complex products, may not be able to adequately protect the public’s health, the watchdog arm of Congress said in new findings released on Thursday. “As a result, the American consumer may not be adequately protected from unsafe and ineffective
Full Post: Report cites FDA’s weaknesses over drugs, devices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Banning fast-food advertising on television in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent, researchers said on Wednesday. But the team at the National Bureau of Economic Research questioned whether it would be practical to impose that kind of government regulation — something only Sweden,
Full Post: Fast-food ad ban could cut child obesity: U.S. study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drug companies should more thoroughly study the potential heart risks of new diabetes medicines, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration, in new guidelines, outlined steps companies should take “to ensure that a new therapy does not increase cardiovascular risk to an unacceptable extent.” (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by
Full Post: FDA wants more study of diabetes drug heart risk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are asking drugmakers to submit more details about their supply chains under a pilot program announced on Wednesday to help protect patients from fake or tainted medicines from overseas. Companies that voluntarily provide the information can get the products through U.S. border entry points more quickly, Food and Drug Administration officials
Full Post: U.S. seeks details of supply chains for foreign drugs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are having any allergic reactions like cold, sneezing, watery eyes, cold and itching, then take Zyrtec. Zyrtec is a chewable medicine and it has to be taken only as per the prescription. Never go for lager doses and also do not take the drug for more days as it can cause serious complications. If
Full Post: Zyrtec is used to treat allergies