Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1673
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
HAI DTCA statement
2002 Feb 10
http://www.haiweb.org/campaign/DTCA/index.html
Full text:
Health Action International Europe released a statement this week emphasising that recently published research provides new evidence of the harmful effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs. It again called on the EU Commission to reject any legislation that weakens the current ban on DTCA.
HAI Europe and others have criticised the EU Commission’s proposed changes to Article 88 of the current EU regulation on advertising which would allow pharmaceutical companies to provide ‘information’ to people living with AIDS, diabetes or asthma during a five-year trial period.
In addition to the release, HAI Europe and the European Public Health Alliance have issued a joint statement on the proposed relaxation of the EU ban on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines. The statement is based on conclusions reached at the two organisations’ meeting “Providing Prescription Medicine Information to Consumers: Is there a role for direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA)?” held in January.
The statement points out that people want objective information about prescription medicine and that many are concerned that advertising, by its very nature, cannot fulfil this need. It also emphasises that no one seems to be taking responsibility for the CommissionÃs proposal. Although DG Enterprise has repeatedly suggested that patient groups are the driving force behind the proposed changes, in fact, at the HAI/EPHA symposium, its representative was unable to name any group that has expressed support for the changes in the regulation. The statement goes on to highlight the fact that there is no evidence that the Commission’s proposal on Article 88 will benefit public health, while there is growing evidence that it endangers health.
HAI and EPHA (plus many other organisations that have endorsed the statement) have called on the EU Parliament, Council and Commission to reject the proposal in its current form and to vigorously enforce the present legislation. They have also called on the EU to develop a robust consumer information and education strategy and to encourage the provision of independent and comparative information about medicines for health professionals and the public.
