Washington – Federal regulators plan to study whether relaxing, upbeat images featured in TV drug ads distract consumers from warnings about the drugs’ risks.
The announcement, posted Tuesday to the Food and Drug Administration’s website, comes a week after a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested the agency’s drug-ad enforcement has steadily declined. The FDA says it plans to study how 2,000 people react to television drug ads to determine whether they have an overwhelmingly positive impression of products despite audio warnings about potential side effects.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said TV ads are an important way for patients to learn about diseases and treatments.
Drug companies are legally required to present a balanced picture of a drug’s benefits and risks in promotions. But critics charge that the images of smiling and relaxed couples and families featured in ads overshadow audio warnings about possible complications.
