Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17890

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

Watson R
MEPs reject US-style direct advertising of drugs
BMJ 2002 Nov 2; 325:(7371):990
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/325/7371/990/a

Abstract:

Members of the European parliament have categorically rejected tentative plans to allow pharmaceutical companies to provide information on drugs directly to the public in the European Union.

As part of its proposals to update existing EU legislation on the approval and marketing of drugs, the European Commission had suggested a five year pilot scheme during which firms could supply data directly to patients on three common illnesses: diabetes, asthma, and AIDS.

Erkki Liikanen, the European commissioner behind the proposal, insisted that the idea recognised that many patients already obtain fragmented information from the internet and stressed that it would not lead to US-style direct advertising to patients.

“Our proposal is that European citizens should obtain information that has been validated by European regulatory authorities and that follows guidelines to be agreed between the member states and the Commission,” he explained.

His arguments did not convince the MEPs, who rejected the . . .