Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3505

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

Editor .
The penalties of issuing misleading advertisements [Editor's response]
British Medical Journal 1987 Feb 14; 294:427

Abstract:

For many years the BMJ scrutinised all pharmaceutical advertisements and developed its own code of practice, the most important element of which was our insistence that statements of fact should be supported by trustworthy published evidence. When the Medicines Commission took on its own statutory duties we amended the code so that we allowed in advertisements any statements which appeared in the data sheet approved by the commission. For practical reasons our scrutiny has always been selective, but we nevertheless continue to challenge and on occasions refuse advertisements which do not conform to our standards. [full text]

Keywords:
*policy statement & guideline/United Kingdom/