Healthy Skepticism Library item: 321

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

Web Sparks Debate Over Drug Ads in Europe
iHealthBeat 2004 Apr 30

Full text:

The Internet has sparked a debate over drug advertising in Europe, where drug companies are prohibited from advertising directly to consumers.

The European Commission is considering a change to the rules and may take action this year, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Patients in Europe are increasingly going to U.S. Web sites for drug information by clicking “yes” when asked whether they are a U.S. resident. In addition, patient advocacy groups such as the European Coalition of Positive People are creating Web portals that explain diseases and link to Web sites with drug information. Some of these groups want drug companies to be allowed to offer nonpromotional drug information online, via telephone or in print.

Drug companies in most European countries cannot conduct any form of advertising, including answering a patient’s question about their drugs over the phone. The European Commission is considering allowing drug makers to work with patient groups and government regulators to offer basic drug information, the Journal reports. However, the industry will not push for TV ads unless patients call for it, said Dr. Scott Ratzan, vice president of government affairs for Johnson & Johnson and chair of an industry task force that is working change to the rules.

Some European governments oppose eliminating the ban over concerns that patients would demand expensive drugs that would increase costs for their national health budgets. Consumer groups are also worried that an ease on the ban would allow drug makers to disseminate misleading information about their products.

Meanwhile, drug companies are encouraging groups such as the London-based European Coalition of Positive People to push for a change.

The ECPP gets close to a third of its funding from pharmaceutical companies, the Journal reports. The debate is a “delicate matter” for drug companies that don’t want to appear to be pushing for rule changes because of profit motives, according to the Journal (Whalen, Wall Street Journal, 4/30).