Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4452

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Wilkes MS, Doblin BH, Shapiro MF.
Pharmaceutical ads in journals
Annals of Internal Medicine 1992; 117:618-619

Abstract:

The reviewers selected represent the best nonbiased sample that could be found. The questions that the reviewers answered are directly derived from Food and Drug Administration guidelines and don’t require a thorough understanding of FDA regulations. Most of the studies cited in the advertisements were not used in obtaining initial approval of the product and therefore were not contained in the FDA files. The FDA does state that no advertisement may go beyond approved claims but this applies to the information in the small print at the end of the ad and not to the headlines in the main part of the ad. Although ads are not the same as journal articles this does not mean that they should not be required to be truthful. If ads were not effective in changing prescribing practices why does the industry spend over $300 million on them.

Keywords:
*letter to the editor/United States/journal advertisements/promotion costs and volume/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS/VOLUME OF AND EXPENDITURE ON PROMOTION