American Medical Association rejects proposal to ban consumer adverts
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《英国医生杂志》
The American Medical Association (AMA) has turned down a proposal to support a ban on advertisements for prescription drugs aimed at consumers. Instead, the organisation voted at a meeting of its House of Delegates for more research.
Advertisements for prescription medicines have provided a constant revenue stream for print and broadcast media since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration lifted restrictions on promotions of prescription drugs to the public. In 2004, drug companies invested $4bn (￡2.2bn; 3.3bn) in direct to consumer advertisements, according to IMS Health, a market research company. A 2003 Harvard Public Health study, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, showed that the investment paid off handsomely: for every $1 spent on direct advertising, drug companies reaped an additional $4.20 in sales.
Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, told the BMJ, "The AMA has made exactly the right call. When done right, direct to consumer advertising is a powerful educational tool. Marketing and promotion help address the significant problem of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of serious diseases and medical conditions that afflict millions of Americans."
He added, "A recent nation-wide poll by Prevention magazine and Men's Health showed that between 1998 and 2004, 28 million American patients talked to their doctor for the first time about health conditions they had after seeing ."
Cyril Hetsko, a trustee of the AMA said, "Research clearly indicates that direct to consumer advertising increases the demand for specific medication. We will study the overall effect of this advertising on patient care and consider strategies that could minimise its potential negative impact."
Robert Solomon, chairman of the American College of Emergency Physicians' ethics committee, said he believed the AMA should take a firm position opposing the advertisements. He said, "There are already guidelines... on direct to consumer advertising, and they appear to be either ignored or ineffectual."(Jeanne Lenzer)
Advertisements for prescription medicines have provided a constant revenue stream for print and broadcast media since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration lifted restrictions on promotions of prescription drugs to the public. In 2004, drug companies invested $4bn (￡2.2bn; 3.3bn) in direct to consumer advertisements, according to IMS Health, a market research company. A 2003 Harvard Public Health study, commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, showed that the investment paid off handsomely: for every $1 spent on direct advertising, drug companies reaped an additional $4.20 in sales.
Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, told the BMJ, "The AMA has made exactly the right call. When done right, direct to consumer advertising is a powerful educational tool. Marketing and promotion help address the significant problem of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of serious diseases and medical conditions that afflict millions of Americans."
He added, "A recent nation-wide poll by Prevention magazine and Men's Health showed that between 1998 and 2004, 28 million American patients talked to their doctor for the first time about health conditions they had after seeing ."
Cyril Hetsko, a trustee of the AMA said, "Research clearly indicates that direct to consumer advertising increases the demand for specific medication. We will study the overall effect of this advertising on patient care and consider strategies that could minimise its potential negative impact."
Robert Solomon, chairman of the American College of Emergency Physicians' ethics committee, said he believed the AMA should take a firm position opposing the advertisements. He said, "There are already guidelines... on direct to consumer advertising, and they appear to be either ignored or ineffectual."(Jeanne Lenzer)