Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1370

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: news

Massachusetts Bill Would Ban Prescription Drug Advertisements
The kaisernetwork.org 2003 Jul 31

Full text:

A bill has been introduced in the Massachusetts House that would prohibit all direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising by pharmaceutical companies, but the legislation has little chance of being approved, the Boston Herald reports. State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D), who sponsored the “far-reaching” legislation, said the pharmaceutical industry “wastes a lot of money on advertising that they could be using to bring down the cost of medications,” the Herald reports. State Rep. Colleen Garry (D) acknowledged the bill is “largely symbolic and stands little chance” of approval, adding that the aim of the bill is to get “people talking about the high cost of drugs and the need for change,” the Herald reports. While the pharmaceutical industry says that the measure is a “ludicrous assault on free speech rights and the free market,” the industry also has “largely ignored” the bill because of its “longshot status,” the Herald reports. Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said terminating drug company advertisements would harm consumers, adding, “It would be a blow to patients by preventing them from learning about the introduction of new treatments or improvements” (Crowley, Boston Herald, 7/29).