Healthy Skepticism Library item: 16116

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

Script ad alert
Pharmacy Daily (Australia) 2009 Jul 31
http://www.pharmacydaily.com.au

Full text:

THE Pharmacy Board of Victoria has reiterated a previous warning (PD 26 Mar) about advertising on
Medicare repeat stationery, but has clarified its position by saying the ruling “doesn’t prevent the use of repeat folders for appropriate advertising.”

Earlier this year a medical practitioner drew to the Board’s attention the use of the white tearoff
strip on the right hand side of repeat authorisation forms to “print health messages associated with an invitation to join a weight loss program.”

The doctor objected that the presciption was being used without consent as an advertising platform
for goods and services, and the board said it “agrees with the impropriety of this practice,” as well as saying the use of additional labels attached to the containers of medicines which recommend the purchase of other substances is “also unprofessional and may be construed as interfering with the medical treatment of a patient.”